The New York Department of Transportation recently opened Interstate 81 southbound as part of the I-81 Viaduct Project, the largest infrastructure project in the department’s history.
The newly opened section will keep traffic moving at highway speeds while drivers transition from the existing I-481 southbound to I-81 southbound and will help mitigate bottleneck traffic along I-481 southbound at peak hours.
“The opening of the southbound interchange is a critical turning point for this project — leading to a number of major milestones in the near future,” Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez said. “While the I-81 Viaduct Project will not erase the harm done to the city of Syracuse generations ago, it will help catapult the city into the future by modernizing key infrastructure and easing commutes for motorists who rely on these key routes every day.”
This phase of the project constructed a $5.5 million bridge and an off-ramp from I-81 northbound to East Glen Avenue. The interchange replaces the former loop ramp connecting I-481 southbound to I-81 northbound that closed permanently in August 2025.
A second bridge is under construction and will link traffic from I-81 southbound to I-481 northbound and will serve as the starting point for the future Business Loop 81 northbound.