In 2025, heavy construction is under way on I-81 in Syracuse, N.Y. The $2.25 billion project includes new roundabouts, bridges and fast-speed highway transitions. The goal is to tear down the elevated I-81 through Syracuse by 2028, with major work on other highways and city streets happening simultaneously.
NYSDOT photo
Drone image from January 2024 of the existing I-484/I-81 northern interchange in Cicero, N.Y.
The project to rebuild Interstate 81 in Syracuse, N.Y., will bring new roundabouts, highway exits, fast-speed highway transitions, new bridges, sidewalks and many new trees in 2025.
In fact, every major state highway in the city is under construction as the project moves toward the middle of its six-year, $2.25 billion makeover, the Syracuse Post-Standard reported Feb. 7, 2025.
The ultimate goal is to tear down the elevated I-81 through Syracuse, starting in 2026 and ending in 2028. But first, the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) is building up other highways and city streets to handle more traffic.
Betsy Parmley, NYSDOT's engineer in charge of the project, told the Post-Standard that area residents and visitors can expect construction to continue on four different hundred-million-dollar contracts at once.
Each project is visible to drivers heading north or south on I-81, around the city on I-481 and through the heart of Syracuse on I-690. In addition, construction on two more sections is expected to begin mid-to-late 2025.
Crews also should finish building major projects in the suburbs this year, including the Cicero interchange, another intersection near Jamesville and the DeWitt exit off I-481.
Northern Interchange to Feature High-Speed Connections
All work at the northern interchange — where I-81 meets I-481 — is expected to be done by the end of 2025. Located in Cicero, this intersection is where the current I-81 will have its name changed to "Business Loop 81" as it heads into Syracuse, and the current I-481 will be renamed I-81.
The major work at the intersection, which started in 2023, is intended to create a high-speed transition between highways and should be completed summer 2025.
Nearby, NYSDOT crews are working on:
• installing a culvert at Mud Creek;
• widening the bridge where I-481 goes over the New York State Thruway;
• rehabilitating the bridges over Thompson and Totman roads (both projects are expected to be finished spring 2025); and
• preparing to begin a reconstruction of South Bay Road, which will likely be completed November 2025.
In addition, new noise barriers have been finished near Syracuse Hancock International Airport and Bear Trap Creek in Salina, according to the transportation department. More will be built to replace the old wooden noise barriers near the interchange.
Crews to Be Very Busy Around the Southern Interchange
The work under way at the southern interchange, where I-81 meets I-481 near Loretto, also is due to be finished by the end of 2025. Like the construction to the north, this part of the freeway project is intended to upgrade high-speed connections between I-81 and the current I-481, which serves as a ring around the eastern suburbs.
The Post-Standard noted that NYSDOT still has a lot of work to do:
• One of the two roundabouts on Brighton Avenue is partially constructed and in use. The next step is to reconstruct East Glen Avenue and add the new road as another option to exit the roundabout. In addition, construction will get under way on an interchange for vehicles to enter and exit I-81 at the new East Glen Avenue.
• A second roundabout at Rock Cut Road is under construction and is expected to open at the end of June 2025.
• Contractors are working to build a triple decker of interstate highways. At ground level there will be Business Loop 81, while the second level will carry southbound Business Loop 81 to northbound I-481. The top deck will support southbound I-81.
• High-speed transitions between I-81 and I-481 should be complete by the end of 2025. The southbound connection from I-481 to I-81 is expected to open mid-November and NYSDOT reported that the ramp from I-81 northbound to I-481 northbound is already open.
Interstate 481's Exit 3 in DeWitt
Construction is expected to start spring 2025 at I-481's busy exit 3 in DeWitt before wrapping up in November. Drivers use those ramps to exit onto or travel from New York State Highways 5 and 92 heading west toward Syracuse or east toward Fayetteville and Manlius.
The interchange, near the Wegmans grocery store in DeWitt, is used by 60,000 drivers each day.
According to NYSDOT, the new exit will be built in three stages to move traffic to one side or the other during construction.
Work also is expected to start soon on the ramp that takes drivers from Wegmans to northbound I-481. That ramp will be lengthened all the way to Kinne Road so that drivers can better merge into high-speed traffic.
Construction also will begin spring 2025 at Lyndon Corners, one of the busiest intersections in Syracuse's eastern suburbs. Crews will work in the overnight hours to add a lane for drivers heading east to Manlius.
The goal is to have Lyndon Corners completed in November 2025.
Better Access to the Inner Harbor
Construction also is ongoing near Inner Harbor and Destiny U.S.A, two of Syracuse's most popular tourist and entertainment attractions:
• On the north side of the city, engineers have already demolished the bridges over I-81 at Spencer and Bear streets. Plans call for replacement structures to be rebuilt and opened in November 2025. Once they are operational, the state will tear down the Court Street bridge and build a new span to allow access for residents on the north side to the Inner Harbor and downtown Syracuse.
• Late summer 2025, construction on a new I-81 entrance at North Clinton Street also is due to begin. The state has already started some work to rebuild North Clinton to handle more local traffic. North Clinton will mostly be finished in 2025 from Bear to Spencer streets, although the segment from Spencer Street to downtown will be completed in 2026.
• Other work zones that drivers will have to navigate in the neighborhood are for rebuilding storm drainage and retaining walls where I-81 is at a lower elevation than the surface streets.
• Contractors also are expected to plant 700 trees in 2025. Depending on the weather, that work could last into 2026.
New I-690 Ramps at Both South Crouse and Irving Avenues
Work on the right eastbound lane is expected to end summer 2025, the Post-Standard noted. Following that, traffic will shift onto the newly built lanes and construction will begin on the left lane.
The activity is part of a new interchange being constructed from I-690 to Crouse and Irving avenues. The idea is to build a direct route to Syracuse University and nearby hospitals before NYSDOT demolishes the elevated highway.
The project has several facets to it:
• By the end of 2025, the state agency expects to open a new ramp from Crouse to eastbound I-690. When it is complete, they will close the McBride Street ramp.
• Future plans also call for NYSDOT to build a ramp at Irving Avenue and close the existing Townsend street ramp.
• In 2025, work will stretch into city streets south of I-690 as well. Parts of Irving Avenue, Walnut Avenue, Lodi Street, and Erie Boulevard will be reconstructed with new drainage and utilities.
• Irving Avenue also will be extended to the new interstate ramp through a city block that is now vacant land. Some of that street work will extend into 2026.
• NYSDOT plans to coordinate the work so drivers will be able to maintain a connection east and west through the busy Erie Boulevard neighborhood. The project is expected to be mostly complete and open for drivers by the end of 2025, although paving activities will likely not begin until spring 2026.
Van Buren Street Roundabout
The Post-Standard said that additional work on I-81 could possibly begin summer 2025 near Martin Luther King School, on Syracuse's South Side, and likely take several years to finish.
This section of construction, known as Contract 5, will stretch from Colvin Street to Van Buren Street, ending in a new roundabout as drivers enter downtown.
The first big project on this stretch is to build a new exit at Colvin Street. There is already an entrance ramp to I-81 at Colvin, but a new exit ramp will give drivers heading north into the city another way to leave the freeway before entering downtown. It also will provide a quicker route to remote parking lots around the JMA Wireless Dome, located just east of the interstate.
Contract 5 also includes the following work:
• North of Colvin Street, the state plans to introduce traffic calming measures such as curves, trees and narrower shoulders to slow drivers entering downtown Syracuse.
• A new roundabout at Van Buren Street for traffic — considered to be a hallmark feature of the overall effort — is planned at street level once the highway is removed.
NYSDOT officials have promised to invite neighborhood stakeholders to discuss the best way to use the vacant land around MLK Boulevard that will be freed up by the new highway design, although that group has not yet been formed. The state also expects to ask for community input on designs for noise barriers and retaining walls.
Future Plans to Include Rebuilding I-690 at West Street
As 2025 progresses, engineers will begin discussions on how best to build the section of I-690 that stretches west from the new Crouse and Irving ramps, past West Street, and on to Leavenworth Avenue.
Referred to as Contract 6, it kicks off what NYSDOT considers to be Phase Two of the I-81 project. The agency expects to issue a request for proposals later in the year for the design-build contract.
Today's top stories
