The final ramp connecting Interstate 81 south to I-481 north has opened to traffic, marking a milestone in the three-year-old project in Cicero and Syracuse, state officials announced Thursday.
Completion of the $366 million reconstruction of the interchanges will improve traffic flow and sets the stage for removing the elevated viaduct in the the downtown area and replacing it with a street-level grid that will reconnect the communities divided by the elevated highway for decades, Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement.
The project involved a $226.5 million effort on Cicero’s northern interchange that started in March 2023, and $140 million in work on Syracuse’s southern interchange which began in July 2023…