SCHUMER, HOCHUL, GILLIBRAND OFFICIALLY BREAK GROUND ON TRANSFORMATIONAL I-81 VIADUCT PROJECT IN SYRACUSE
After More Than A Decade of Planning, Syracuse Is Breaking Ground For Game Changing $2.25 Billion Project to Build Community Streets, Bringing Thousands Of Good Paying Construction Jobs To Reconnect Neighborhoods And Improve Mobility Across The City
Schumer Led Bipartisan Infrastructure & Jobs Law To Passage With Syracuse’s I-81 Transformation At Top Of Mind, And Now With Shovels In The Ground Fed $$$ Can Start To Flow To Help Realize Long Held Community Vision For A More Interconnected, Energized and Equitable Syracuse
Schumer: Syracuse, Put On Your Hard Hats And Get Your Shovels Out, The Transformation Of I-81 Begins Today!
Following years of advocacy, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer joined Governor Kathy Hochul, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, White House Infrastructure Coordinator Mitch Landrieu, Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh, and NYCLU Director of Racial Justic Lanessa Owens-Chaplin today to officially break ground on the transformational Interstate 81 Viaduct Project in Syracuse, formally launching one of the largest and most ambitious construction projects ever undertaken in Upstate New York.
“Syracuse, put on your hard hats and get your shovels out, the transformation of I-81 begins today! Our infrastructure should connect, not divide our communities and the transformation of I-81 will lay the foundation for a brighter, more equitable future for all of Syracuse,” said Senator Schumer. “When I led the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act to passage, I did so with projects like Syracuse’s I-81 transformation as my north star. Now, with shovels officially in the ground the federal funding can start flowing, creating thousands of good paying union construction jobs, hired from here in the community, to reconnect Syracuse and bring more opportunity to residents across the city. I thank Governor Hochul and Mayor Walsh for their partnership and leadership on this vital effort.”
“With this groundbreaking, we are righting the wrongs of the past, creating jobs, and bringing a new era of opportunity and inclusion to Syracuse and all of Central New York,” Governor Hochul said. “The Interstate 81 Viaduct Project is a historic undertaking that will serve as a national example of how thoughtful infrastructure can bring people together, promote growth and increase prosperity for all communities. The time has come to begin weaving back together the neighborhoods that were torn apart decades ago – healing the wounds that have festered for far too long and creating more livable, affordable and sustainable communities.”
Senator Gillibrand said, "After years of relentless advocacy, I'm so excited to finally see the groundbreaking of the I-81 project. This will be transformative for the City of Syracuse and the region as a whole. I am proud to have fought to secure longtime priorities of mine in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to provide the resources needed to help revitalize and reconnect Syracuse, and I will keep working to see this project through.”
”For far too long, transportation infrastructure in this country has cut communities off from opportunity, health care, essential services, and family. That’s unacceptable, and that’s why President Biden has been laser-focused on ensuring the I-81 project has the funding it needs to finally reconnect Syracuse.” said Senior Advisor to the President and White House Infrastructure Implementation Coordinator Mitch Landrieu. “It’s been great to stand with Senate Majority Leader Schumer, Governor Hochul, and Senator Gillibrand to celebrate this historic groundbreaking – a perfect example of how when we work together, we can do big things. This project is going to increase access to good paying union jobs, boost the local economy, and dramatically increase safety for all residents. It is Bidenomics in action.”
The $2.25 billion project, led by NY State Department of Transportation under Governor Hochul’s leadership, will create a Community Grid to reconnect downtown neighborhoods divided by the 1950’s viaduct that was built through the heart of Syracuse, disproportionately impacting residents of color for decades. The project will be one of the largest in New York State’s history, and will also create a new Business Loop 81 to increase connections to downtown, improve traffic flow, enhance mobility, safety, and equity, and boost economic opportunity for all across Central New York.
Schumer, Gillibrand and Hochul have been passionate advocates for the redevelopment of Syracuse’s I-81. As majority leader, Schumer led the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act to passage with projects like Syracuse’s at the top of mind. Two years ago, the senators brought Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to Syracuse to visit I-81 and to push for the use of a local hire program to connect disadvantaged workers to construction jobs created by the I-81 project. A local hire program was eventually included in the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs law after Schumer and Gillibrand’s leadership to add to the bill. New York State will be one of the first in the nation to utilize the local hire program, providing training and new, high-quality job opportunities to disadvantaged workers, including some who may reside in the neighborhoods impacted by past infrastructure investments.
The Reconnecting Communities Program was created by Senators Schumer and Gillibrand in the Bipartisan Infrastructure & Jobs Law to help communities, like Syracuse, remove barriers like old highways and other transportation infrastructure that has limited the connectivity of the community. Syracuse became one of the first communities to receive funding in the historic first year of the $1 billion dollar program in February of this year, when Senators Schumer and Gillibrand announced a $500,000 planning grant to assist the ongoing transformation to reconnect communities in Syracuse.
Schumer and Gillibrand also played key roles in funding Syracuse Build, the City of Syracuse’s inclusive workforce pipeline, which leverages a suite of training programs and pathways specifically designed to place Syracuse residents, particularly people of color and women, at in-demand construction jobs and apprenticeships. In the Fiscal Year 2022 bipartisan spending package, the Senators were able to secure $300,000 in federal funding for the Syracuse Build program to train Syracuse youth for I-81 construction jobs and apprenticeships. Schumer explained that, with construction now underway, this I-81 construction job training is key to helping young people enter the labor market and start good-paying careers in construction. According to the City of Syracuse, to date, over 100 people of color trained through Syracuse Build have been hired for jobs or apprenticeships working directly on I-81.
Under Governor Hochul, New York has become a national leader in reconnecting communities through infrastructure with more than $3 billion allocated in the Department of Transportation’s capital plan to transform such areas in East Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Albany and the South Bronx. The transformation of I-81 in Syracuse can also benefit from several additional programs included in the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment & Jobs law.
This includes $11.5 billion for New York State in new federal aid highway funding. At Schumer’s urging, the Neighborhood Access and Equity Grant Program – a program similar to Reconnecting Communities was included in the Inflation Reduction Act and funded at $3.2 billion. According to Schumer, the state and city will be able to apply for Neighborhood Access and Equity funding in the future. President Biden has been the leading advocate for investing in infrastructure to reconnect communities starting in his American Jobs Plan, which directly cited Syracuse’s I-81 as an example of building a more equitable future for transportation infrastructure.
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