TOWN OF DEWITT – In response to this month’s release of the draft environmental impact statement for the planned Interstate 81 project, the DeWitt Town Board discussed the possibility of crafting a unifying message to state and federal transportation departments.
The current layout of the project entails the demolition of a 1.4-mile viaduct that runs between Dr. Martin Luther King East and the I-690 interchange in favor of a business loop and the rerouting of traffic to I-481, thus resulting in the creation of a “community grid.”
DeWitt Councilor Sam Young said he believes the town board, planning board, comprehensive planning committee and zoning board should all endorse a shared response to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) by the time the comment period for the draft environmental impact statement expires on Sept. 14.
“Now that the state and federal departments of transportation have made their preferences known, we think it would be a good idea for the town to speak with one voice on behalf of its residents as to the number of concerns that we’ve been talking about for years,” Young said.
As members of the town’s comprehensive planning committee, Young and his fellow councilors Kerry Mannion and Kerin Rigney have identified potential remedies for concerns related to the I-81 project. The committee has proposed the improvement of sidewalks for pedestrian crossings at Exit 3, tree plantings on the highway’s borders to handle heightened carbon dioxide levels caused by motor vehicle traffic, and the erection of noise barriers where I-481 passes through the town as a way to decrease noise pollution.
During the July 26 meeting in the town hall on Butternut Drive, Town Supervisor Ed Michalenko suggested that DeWitt officials who concur with the comments he personally compiles could sign onto those if the separate boards had trouble preparing a congruous message.
Michalenko said the different levels of enthusiasm about the community grid option could alone foster disagreement but that the push for mitigation of environmental impacts is a common thread among the town’s representatives.
Touching on his own qualms with the community grid alternative, the town supervisor said the strategy serves to “further isolate” the residents of the city’s south side.
The DeWitt Town Board additionally brought up the idea of having a traffic engineer peruse the thousands of pages contained in the draft environmental impact statement, all the while keeping the town’s perspective in consideration.
The impact statement can be viewed via the “I-81 Viaduct Project” page on the NYSDOT website.
