Site work for a road / highway in Syracuse, New York. Completed plans call for site work for a road / highway.

https://www.enr.com/articles/54828-first-contract-proposals-submitted-for-23b-i-81-viaduct-removal-in-syracuse-ny First Contract Proposals Submitted for $2.3B I-81 Viaduct Removal in Syracuse, NY Project aims to reconnect neighborhoods and restore city's downtown area Removal of the I-81 Viaduct in Syracuse, N.Y., passed a key milestone last week with firms shortlisted for the first phase of work submitting their proposals on time. Nicolas Choubah, chief engineer for the New York State Dept. of Transportation, highlighted Sept. 16 at the ENR NYNJ Infrastructure Forum in New York City, one state effort to think outside of the box for options to replace infrastructure that has reached the end of its useful life. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ https://dailyorange.com/2022/04/new-york-state-projects-6-years-construction-community-grid/ The community grid alternative of the Interstate 81 viaduct project will take six years to construct, according to the project's environmental impact statement. The report, which was released on Friday, detailed the environmental and economic impact the viaduct removal and its alternatives would have on the surrounding community. The community grid was identified by the report as the "preferred alternative" for the project by the New York State Department of Transportation. The six years of construction would follow two phases, according to the statement. The first involves all work necessary to re-designate Interstate 481, which runs through Syracuse's eastern suburbs, as I-81. The designation would mean directing traffic usually traveling along I-81 onto I-481. The two intersect in north Syracuse. The second phase involves closing segments of the eastbound Interstate 690 and using a local street detour between West Street and Crouse Avenue for the disrupted traffic. Afterwards, the phase would see I-690 reconstructed, the viaduct demolished and local streets, including Almond Street, reconstructed into the community grid. The the Interstate 81 viaduct project's environmental impact statement said that the community grid alternative would take six years to complete in two phases. The NYSDOT announced its approval of the community grid option to replace the viaduct in 2019. The plan has been widely endorsed by members of the community, including Mayor Ben Walsh and Syracuse University Chancellor Kent Syverud. Gov. Kathy Hochul has also spoken in favor of the community grid. New York's state budget, released on April 7, included $1.1 billion for the viaduct project. Local residents have also expressed their support for the return of the community that was lost with the initial construction of the viaduct. While the community grid has garnered widespread support within Syracuse, residents have been working to ensure the project doesn't further displace people in the area, as well as to create more local hiring opportunities in the construction. The construction of I-81 in the 1950s and 1960s devastated the historical 15th Ward, a predominantly Black neighborhood. Blueprint 15 is a local nonprofit that has been collaborating with Purpose Built Communities, an organization that deals with community revitalization, to ensure those living in the East Adams neighborhood are not further displaced. The statement claimed that the presence of a more local street network in the community grid plan would neither affect the accessibility of local businesses in the area or displace residents. According to the statement, 55,851 people live in the central study area -- the land immediately adjacent to the viaduct -- that the project would affect as of 2019. 55,851 -- Number of people living in the central study area adjacent to the viaduct as of 2019. Danny Kahn | Design Editor Part of the statement was an analysis of the effect to the surrounding community that the construction of the community grid could bring. According to the statement, the NYSDOT anticipates temporary increases in noise, emissions from construction equipment, traffic detours and changes in the visual appearance of the neighborhoods near construction zones. The statement said the construction will be coordinated with Dr. King Elementary School, which lies adjacent to the viaduct. The NYSDOT will conduct regular outdoor ambient air monitoring at the school to monitor construction emissions. While the statement said the department will implement "corrective measures" should emissions exceed projected levels around the school, it did not specify what those measures would be. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The City supports the NYSDOT's designation of the Community Grid as its preferred alternative. The City is particularly interested in NYSDOT's design for the streets and streetscapes in the Community Grid option in downtown and adjacent residential neighborhoods that will replace the existing viaduct and highway. For half a century, the I-81 viaduct has been a negative environmental barrier dividing downtown Syracuse from University Hill and Hospital areas. The City must ensure that the streets that replace the viaduct not only allow safe and easy pedestrian and bicycle access but also establish a streetscape that will facilitate neighborhood preservation and economic development and growth. Additionally, one of the major unanswered questions of this project is how NYSDOT will release excess and unneeded state-owned land under and near the viaduct to the city for development. The scope of services below describes the professional services the City is requesting in this RFP in greater detail. The City of Syracuse is requesting proposals from interested consultants for urban planning and design services regarding the pending removal of the I-81 viaduct through the center of the city. The City will require a professional partner to successfully navigate this transformational process over the next 2 to 5 years. The nature and level of engagement may change substantially over this period. All professional service contracts in 13 excess of $50,000 will require Minority and Women Business Participation Goals and EEO Goals. The MWBE subcontract goals will be 12% Minority and 8% Women. The EEO workforce goals will be 10% Minority and 10% Women.