N.Y. Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the final contract award for Phase One of Syracuse's I-81 Viaduct Project, marking a major step towards reuniting divided communities. The multi-million dollar contract with Salt City Constructors signals progress in transitioning from redesignation to removing the viaduct and establishing a community grid. The project is part of NY's effort to promote connectivity and equity through infrastructure investment.
Office of Gov. Kathy Hochul render
This is the first contract to include removal of portions of the viaduct and signals the transition of the project away from its initial stages.
Gov. Kathy Hochul revealed in an April 22, 2025, news release that the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) has awarded the fifth and final construction contract for the first phase of the Interstate 81 Viaduct project in Syracuse.
The agency's nearly $251 million contract with Salt City Constructors, located in Liverpool, N.Y., marks a significant milestone in the historic project to reunite the long-divided communities of Syracuse's southside and modernize the entire transportation landscape of central New York.
It is the first contract to include removal of portions of the viaduct and signals the transition of the project away from its initial stages — which focused largely on improvements needed to redesignate I-481 as the new I-81 — and toward the later phase of eliminating the viaduct and establishing the community grid.
Work on the fifth contract is set to begin imminently, according to Hochul's office.
"Across the state, we are reimagining and reshaping our infrastructure to reconnect communities and address the misguided planning decisions of the past," she said. "The award of the I-81 Viaduct Project's latest contract is proof of the advancements we are making to reunite the southside neighborhoods that were wrongly divided by this highway's construction and is an indicator of the progress that is yet to come for all of central New York."
The generational I-81 Viaduct project is the largest such ever undertaken by NYSDOT and is part of Hochul's unprecedented commitment to modernize the state's infrastructure and invest in projects that promote equity, connectivity and multi-modal transportation opportunities for communities with New York.
Construction crews will remove a 1.4-mi. stretch of elevated highway that has divided Syracuse for decades and implement a community grid that will reconnect neighborhoods, modernize infrastructure, give motorists additional ways to safely access the city's downtown and improve mobility for pedestrians and bicyclists.
Totaling eight separate contracts, the I-81 viaduct's construction began in the spring of 2023 and with the latest contract awarded, New York has now reached the major milestone of having all five Phase 1 contracts under way.
The $33 billion NYSDOT capital plan adopted in 2022 helps fulfill Hochul's vision of a modern transportation system that serves all New Yorkers. The project also is being funded with a mix of federal and state resources.
"Under Governor Kathy Hochul's leadership, New York state is doing more to invest in infrastructure projects that are fundamentally transforming communities across the state — creating jobs and providing economic opportunities for generations of New Yorkers to come," said NYSDOT Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez. "The I-81 Viaduct project is an outstanding example of working with the community to develop and progress a project that truly reflects the transportation needs of the community."
She added that the new contract award "is further proof that we are moving full speed ahead on this transformative project in Syracuse, which will promote connectivity in all its forms, for communities across central New York, leading to a brighter path forward for the thousands of residents — many of whom were negatively impacted by the viaduct's construction over 75 years ago."
Removal of Seven Viaduct Spans Part of Latest Contract
As part of the latest contract, construction will begin in earnest on the southside of Syracuse with the transformation of the southern end of Almond Street and I-81 into future Business Loop 81.
The work includes reconstructing and converting I-81 to business loop 81 from just north of Colvin Street to Burt Street, gradually bringing the highway down to street grade, while introducing several traffic calming measures, including curved roadways and narrower lanes and shoulders.
Plans also call for a grassy median, decorative lighting and trees as traffic approaches Martin Luther King east.
In addition, the contractor will build a roundabout at business loop 81 and Van Buren street, which will help slow northbound traffic as it approaches Martin Luther King east and downtown Syracuse. The roundabout was initially planned for a location at Martin Luther King east, near the city's STEAM at Dr. King Elementary School, but was relocated after community members expressed concerns about its proximity to the school.
Other components of the newly awarded fifth contract for Phase 1 of the Interstate 81 Viaduct include:
• temporary improvements on Almond Street to allow all traffic to or from Business Loop 81 to access Syracuse's central business district;
• a new railroad bridge will be constructed between Martin Luther King east and the new roundabout to carry the New York Susquehanna and Western Railway tracks over business loop 81. The structure will include blue painted steel and lighting to create a new gateway entrance into the city;
• an off-ramp from business loop 81 northbound to Colvin Street to enhance connectivity to the downtown areas, Syracuse University and the school's south campus;
• improvements to the city of Syracuse and Onondaga County's storm water runoff and sewage systems;
• pedestrian and cyclist amenities, such as designated bike lanes, shared use paths, new sidewalks and crosswalks with enhanced pedestrian activated signals;
• new traffic signals with video detection on mast arm poles to enhance safety and traffic flow; and
• noise barriers along business loop 81 southbound between Martin Luther King east and along the off-ramp to South State Street, South Salina Street and Brighton Avenue, in the northbound direction at a point between a half-mile south of the I-81 bridge over Colvin Street to just north of the interstate's bridge over Colvin.
In reacting to the news of the latest work getting underway on the I-81 Viaduct, N.Y. State Sen. Christopher Ryan said in a statement, "This milestone is about more than just one phase of concrete and construction — it's part of a major step forward in reconnecting neighborhoods, restoring opportunity and renewing a sense of unity across our community.
"For too long, infrastructure decisions have divided communities and limited potential across central New York. With this next phase of the I-81 project, we move closer to a future where every neighborhood in Syracuse and the surrounding area is part of the progress."
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