State and local transportation planners say a future community vision is the key to the "I-81 Challenge," and the first of a series of preliminary, invitation-only focus group sessions is scheduled for September 14, according to columnist Dick Case in a recent edition of the Syracuse Post Standard.
It will be the start of a long process, with State Department of Transportation officials indicating the project won't be ready to go to bid until 2017, but the results of the approaching early discussions may well determine what Syracuse will look like for many decades to come. Shifting current interstate traffic to another road or alignment and making the current route a boulevard, as has been proposed, has ramifications well beyond Downtown Syracuse, requiring a regional examination of alternatives, according to officials.
James D'Agostino, director of the Syracuse Metropolitan Transportation Council, is quoted as saying the first meetings are designed to "find out what the people want to know" about the project. Focus participants are said to consist of city and county officials including town supervisors, village mayors and planning board chairs; downtown Syracuse business representatives and residents; local developers and real estate executives; major local employers; and neighborhood and environmental group officials. Public meetings are planned for January and February.
Read the full story in Dick Case's column at:
http://blog.syracuse.com/opinion/2009/08/remaking_i81_through_syracuse.html
Additional information about Downtown Syracuse planning is at:
http://blog.syracuse.com/cny-speaks/2009/08/a_citizens_agenda_for_downtown.html
