The New York State Department of Transportation will soon reach a milestone in the Interstate 81 project in central New York. The $2.25 billion project to tear down the aging elevated viaduct in downtown Syracuse and create a new high speed traffic pattern is split into eight different contracts, distributed over two phases that will take about five years to complete. State Department of Transportation Regional Director David Smith said the state has already awarded contracts 1-4, and is weeks away from awarding the fifth contract.