To the editor:

The next time you travel down Interstate 81, take a moment to notice the traffic around you. It’s likely that you’ll count not one, not two, but dozens of tractor trailers along your route.

America’s interstate highways are the most crucial pieces of infrastructure for the country’s economy. They’re the workplace of the trucking industry, which nearly 90 percent of all New York communities rely upon to deliver their goods. Here in Central New York, you don’t have to look further than the New York State Thruway or I-81 to see that.

Given this, as the central region vice chair of the Trucking Association of New York, I believe it is crucial that the voice of the trucking industry is heard as the debate over what to do with the aging section of I-81 through downtown Syracuse rages on. For our industry, the choice is obvious.

It is unfathomable to demolish this critical transportation artery in favor of sending large trucks into a jammed community grid, or along a circuitous route that wastes time and money. We must maintain I-81’s current route for the sake of our industry and for the Central New York economy.

Everyone knows that the trucking industry is responsible for delivering all the goods we need to survive – from food for grocery stores and restaurants, and fuel to heat our homes and run our cars, to packages delivered to our doorsteps or businesses. But few people realize what trucking means to local economies.

Consider how our industry impacts a town like Salina, which would be cut off from the trucking industry if interstate traffic is diverted onto I-481 with the introduction of a community grid. According to town officials, 39 percent of the town’s $1.6 billion tax base consists of hotels, gas stations and restaurants geared toward I-81 and I-90 travelers, a significant portion of whom are truck drivers.

Of course, there is more to this problem than economic impact. A community grid presents myriad issues for the trucking industry — and potentially for other drivers sharing the road. Our members adhere to the strictest safety standards, but narrow streets simply are not easy to navigate for large trucks. Forcing trucks to travel down a mile-and-a-half strip in heavy traffic with drivers who may not be accustomed to sharing local roadways with trucks could create unsafe conditions.

A community grid would force us to choose the lesser of two evils when it comes to our environmental footprint. Either trucks could sit idling at red lights and move at a fuel-inefficient snail’s pace along the grid, or trucks could go miles out of their way burning extra fuel on the reconfigured I-81 that follows the current I-481 route through the eastern and northeastern suburbs of the city.

For these reasons, the Trucking Association of New York has joined the Save 81 coalition. We are not opposed to having an open conversation about the future of I-81 in Syracuse. Quite the opposite is true. We are willing to speak with all other stakeholders about the right solution.

But we feel it’s important to educate the public and the decision makers about why maintaining I-81’s existing route will serve our community now and for decades to come. We cannot afford to get this choice wrong.

Steve Erwin, Central Region Vice Chair

Trucking Association of New York