By Ashley M. Casey

Associate Editor

As the New York State Department of Transportation continues to hold public information sessions on the future of Interstate 81, a group of local elected officials is calling for the DOT to include the suburbs in the discussion.

“We’re worth whatever it takes to keep our community alive and keep our community vibrant,” Damian Ulatowski, Clay town supervisor and president of the Onondaga County Supervisors Association, said at a press conference held July 16 at Cicero Town Hall. “We’re looking for a dialogue. We don’t want to be discounted.”

Members of the Onondaga County Mayors Association and the Onondaga County Supervisors Association came together July 16 to reiterate their opposition to the community grid solution and urge the DOT to allow questions at their meetings on I-81’s future. Ulatowski said the state should consider rebuilding the viaduct, building a tunnel or constructing an iconic bridge.

“As you all know, I-81 links the north from Canada through the city of Syracuse to southeastern United States and Tennessee. It is a major artery, bringing that traffic, commerce and tourism along that route. I think what we’re faced with by looking at a community grid is clogging that major artery through the city of Syracuse,” said Ulatowski.

Ulatowski said the municipalities represented at the meeting make up two-thirds of the population of Onondaga County.

“Somehow, our voices are not being heard,” he said.

Among the officials present from the northern suburbs were Baldwinsville Mayor Dick Clarke, Onondaga County Legislator Deb Cody, North Syracuse Mayor Gary Butterfield, Salina Town Supervisor Colleen Gunnip and members of the Cicero and Clay town boards.

The Clay Town Board passed a resolution July 15 that will be sent to state and federal officials “asking for a consensus solution” on the I-81 issue.

Turning the current Route 481 into a bypass would route traffic “through a vein, not an artery,” Ulatowski said. This would lead to major backups at already congested areas such as the 481 exits for Fayetteville, Manlius and DeWitt.

“We’re going to choke the very residents who we have thought were aggrieved as a result of the current orientation of I-81. Pollution is going to be another major issue we will have to deal with through 14 intersections,” Ulatowski said.

Clogging the major artery of Syracuse, Ulatowski added, will only “give our children and grandchildren a heart attack.”

Cicero Town Supervisor Mark Venesky said DOT officials have been unable to answer major questions about the project’s implications on Onondaga County taxpayers, the 5,700 employees at Destiny USA and area commerce.

Venesky pointed out that New York state has spent nearly $4 billion to overhaul the Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge (formerly the Tappan Zee Bridge) across the Hudson River, but state officials have discounted a $3.6 billion proposal to replace the aging I-81 viaduct with a tunnel as too costly.

“Personally, I’m insulted that Upstate New York is being treated like a second-class citizen,” Venesky said.

Venesky said local first responders — Cicero is home to five fire departments — say the community grid will lead to congestion when time is of the essence in emergency situations.

Fayetteville Mayor Mark Olson said eight of the 15 villages in Onondaga County are directly affected by the I-81 project, but the DOT has not contacted village leaders for their input.

“The quality of life of our residents is paramount in everything that we do. People choose to live in towns and villages for a reason. It’s because of the services we offer, the quality of life we offer, and it’s a place that they can call home and they’re proud of,” Olson said. “The DOT has not answered or asked any questions from any mayor or town supervisor that I know of. That is wrong.”

Salina Town Supervisor Colleen Gunnip said the state lists Salina as a “participating agency” in the I-81 project.

“Yet at no point have they come to us and asked what the impact would be on the town of Salina,” she said. “They haven’t reached out to the businesses and asked what the impact is going to be. I’m urging the citizens of Onondaga County to ask that question, submit comments: ‘What is the impact going to be on the taxes that I’m going to pay as a property owner?’”

Gunnip said Salina is home to 15 hotels, 41 restaurants and nine fueling stations, which would lose 30% of their income if I-81 traffic is rerouted.

Last month, the Salina Town Board voted unanimously on a resolution calling for the preservation of the high-speed access footprint of Interstate 81.

The town is projecting a 50% decrease in assessed value of properties along I-81 and the loss of business and tax revenue. Gunnip said she was afraid Salina’s bond rating could be lowered if the community grid goes ahead as planned, which would make it more expensive for the town to borrow money for infrastructure projects.

LaFayette Town Supervisor Danny Fitzpatrick said LaFayette is the “original crossroads” of New York — the intersection of Route 20 and Route 11 — and I-81 was built in part to replace it. He said a community grid would disrupt Salina’s status as the “modern crossroads” of New York.

“The town of Salina, the town of LaFayette and dozens of communities across Central New York are being forgotten,” Fitzpatrick said. “In the town of LaFayette, we’re equidistant from the city of Syracuse and the city of Cortland. If somebody has a choice where to go and the grid is blocking them, they’re going south.”

Fitzpatrick said he is also concerned about the possible increase of traffic accidents if large trucks are diverted to the suburbs.

NYS Assemblyman Gary Finch echoed Fitzpatrick’s safety concerns about truck traffic being rerouted through the western towns and Finger Lakes. He also expressed concern for the economy.

“I-81 is not only a highway but an economic development engine all by itself,” he said. “We need to keep those businesses here in the upstate area and thriving because we don’t have much going for us up here.”

DeWitt Deputy Supervisor Kerry Mannion called the DOT’s meetings “marketing presentations” and called for the state to include Q&A sessions in their public meetings.

Mannion also called into question the state’s claim that only 11 to 12% of I-81’s current traffic would be diverted to Route 481. He said 481 North could see a 50% increase in traffic.

“That 50% of traffic is no longer going through 81, going through the town of Salina, going through the town of Cicero. There’s a huge economic impact,” he said.

John McBride, Onondaga County Legislator for District 11, said surveys about I-81 have shown only 37% of Central New Yorkers are in favor of the community grid.

“It’s clearly a minority opinion, but you would never know it listening to the DOT,” he said.

McBride said a constituent recently asked him, “Tell me when this project stopped being a transportation project and started being a social engineering experiment?”

Watch the full press conference on the town of Cicero’s Vimeo profile at vimeo.com/348451995.

I-81: Read the report and comment

The New York State Department of Transportation’s Draft Environmental Impact Statement about Interstate 81 can be accessed online at dot.ny.gov/i81opportunities.

You can also view the document in person at the two following locations:

• NYSDOT Region 3 Office: Sen. John H. Hughes State Office Building, 333 E. Washington St., Syracuse

• I-81 Information Center: The Carnegie Building, 335 Montgomery St., Syracuse

The state will hold a public hearing and an official 45-day comment period later this year. The state expects to file its record of decision in late 2020. Submit your comments about the plan:

• By mail: Mark Frechette, PE, Project Director New York State Department of Transportation, Region 3 333 E. Washington St. Syracuse, NY 13202

• Via email/website: dot.ny.gov/i81opportunities

For more information, contact NYSDOT at 315-428-4351 or via the project’s toll-free hotline, 1-855-I81-TALK (855-481-8255).