Sens. Schumer, Gillibrand push for American Jobs Plan to fund New York’s I-81 project

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U.S. Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) brought Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to Syracuse to visit I-81 – an infrastructure project they say will benefit from the American Jobs Plan.

The senators pushed for the passage of the Reconnecting Communities Act and the permanent expansion of the local hire pilot program – both part of the American Jobs Plan – to help fund the I-81 transformation that they say will support local workers and revitalize Syracuse.

“Highways like Syracuse’s I-81 have too often been built through low-income neighborhoods and communities of color, displacing residents, dividing cities, increasing pollution, and limiting economic opportunities in impacted neighborhoods,” Schumer said. “After a long and thorough outreach process by NYSDOT, strong community consensus chose this approach of replacing I-81, which we are pleased to support by bringing Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to Syracuse. Secretary Buttigieg saw for himself today how the community plan to remove a hulking, physical barrier to mobility and opportunity for impacted communities could transform the area and how with federal funding, I-81 can revitalize downtown Syracuse and connect local workers to good-paying jobs.”

The Reconnecting Communities Act would provide federal investment in construction, planning, and community engagement to reconnect and revitalize areas of the country that were harmed by the construction of highways through neighborhoods. While highways like I-81 were instrumental in the connectivity of the country, the Senators said, they also upended communities and negatively impacted the quality of life across low-income areas and communities of color. The Senators said the replacement of I-81 would reinvigorate those communities.

The American Jobs Plan would allocate $25 billion to the Reconnecting Communities Act, providing federal funds for community engagement and capacity building grants, planning and feasibility grants, and capital construction grants.

“When the I-81 viaduct was built, it divided the 15th Ward, a close-knit black community, and caused increased traffic levels, dangerous levels of pollution, and the shuttering of local businesses. Similar stories played out in communities of color across New York and the country—highways cut through cities, destroyed neighborhoods, and displaced more than a million people,” Gillibrand said. “Now, we have the chance the help right the wrongs of the past. We are honored to host Transportation Secretary Buttigieg in Syracuse to share with him the community grid plan for the I-81 viaduct, which will revitalize this community, boost the economy and create local jobs right here in Syracuse, and importantly, help lay the foundation for a brighter, more equitable future.”