Earlier this year, the New York State Department of Transportation recommended that Interstate 81, the aging span that currently divides the city of Syracuse, be replaced with the so-called “community grid” option.

The agency is currently in the evaluation phase of the draft environmental impact study.  

Capital Tonight spoke with Syracuse Deputy Mayor Sharon Owens about how the city is planning to help protect residents of the 15th Ward, both during and after the lengthy construction process. 

One issue that has recently been raised around the project is lead paint dust, something Owens said anyone could relate to.

“We can imagine, just if any of us in our own homes were in the middle of a renovation in your own house,” she said. “Can you imagine a highway coming down right outside?”

According to Owens, the Syracuse Housing Authority’s executive director, Bill Simmons, is engaged with the state DOT in a plan for retrofitting some of the units within the span’s footprint.  

“(We are also) giving some of the tenants there the option to permanently or temporarily relocate during the construction,” Owens said. “Still, there are residents who don’t want to leave in the midst of the construction.”

The city of Syracuse has also scheduled a series of meetings with the DOT coming up “very soon” to ensure that Mayor Ben Walsh's administration is able to keep the people who live under the viaduct safe during construction.