Outgoing Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner on Monday urged state officials to not consider a contentious tunnel option for replacing the deteriorating stretch of Interstate 81 in the city.

“A tunnel is not feasible financially and would have detrimental impacts on the economic and social health of our community,” Miner said in a statement Monday.

Miner and other local politicians have frequently expressed frustration after New York state Gov. Andrew Cuomo in January announced the New York State Department of Transportation would be hiring an independent consultant to analyze previously dismissed tunnel options that could redirect interstate traffic underneath Syracuse.

The mayor urged state officials on Monday to remove a recommended “Orange” tunnel alternative from consideration in a Draft Environmental Impact Statement. The consulting report, compiled by well-known engineering firm WSP, found that this tunnel alternative would be feasible but much more expensive than two other replacement options: the community grid and redesign concept.

“(Officials should) proceed only with options which focus on connecting the street grid, opening up more land for potential development, and improving the quality of life for Syracuse residents,” Miner said.

An area state representative, meanwhile, expressed support for the report findings. According to Syracuse.com, state Sen. John DeFrancisco (R-Syracuse) said the consulting report proves a tunnel is economically possible. He also told Syracuse.com he will meet with Rep. John Katko (R-N.Y.) to discuss the report.

“The fact (is) it is an option I think is extremely important. It can be done,” DeFrancisco said in an interview with Syracuse.com.

DeFrancisco has previously condemned the community grid option. Along with other state representatives, he has urged the NYSDOT to consider a hybrid of both the grid and tunnel options. DeFrancisco is the state Senate’s deputy majority leader.

Other local politicians, though, have denounced the tunnel option like Miner. Mayor-elect Ben Walsh held a campaign rally specifically to rail against state officials early this fall for delaying the release of WSP’s report.

“We are continuing to debate whether or not we want to double down on 20th century infrastructure while we’re in a 21st century economy,” Walsh also said at a rally to support the community grid idea in early October. “It makes no sense to me.”

Several city common councilors at the grid rally also said they oppose the tunnel. According to the WSP report released Monday, the most feasible Orange alternative would cost $3.6 billion. In comparison, the grid concept would cost $1.3 billion. The rebuild option would cost an estimated $1.7 billion.

“This study reaffirms the previous work done by the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) and what many in our community have long suspected: a tunnel option would take nearly a decade to build and have an outsize price tag,” Miner said on Monday.

The report was originally expected to be released sometime in late August or early September. In an email, an NYSDOT spokesman on Sept. 29 said the tunnel report was “expected any day now.” That didn’t happen.

Published on December 4, 2017 at 11:14 pm

Contact Sam: sfogozal@syr.edu | @SamOgozalek