The New York Department of Transportation recently opened new entrance and exit ramps along Interstate 81 southbound in Syracuse. The new Spencer Street bridge also recently opened.
The ramps and bridge are part of the Interstate 81 Viaduct Project, the department’s largest construction project in its history.
“The I-81 Viaduct Project is already transforming the movement of people and goods around Central New York, and these newest upgrades to the transportation infrastructure in Syracuse will bring sweeping new access to some of the city’s most diverse neighborhoods, downtown Syracuse, and the education and employment hub on University Hill,” New York State Department of Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez said. “They also move us a big step closer to the goal of removing an elevated highway that has cast a shadow over this community for decades.”
The new on-and-off ramps, located at North Clinton Street, eliminate multiple merge points, minimize the need for last-minute lane changes, and provide a more direct connection between the Northside and Inner Harbor.
The new bridge was built in the original Spencer Street bridge’s footprint but is more than 30 feet longer.
Ongoing and future improvements include modifications to the Spencer Street and West Bear Street on-ramps to I-690 westbound.