Rep. John Katko (R-Syracuse) outlined a series of infrastructure projects for the central New York area, including the Interstate 81 rebuild, in a call with the United States Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx on Wednesday.

Since the start of his term in January, Katko has met with numerous constituents, businesses and civic groups about concerns regarding the I-81 reconstruction project, according to a Katko press release

To ensure numerous options would be considered for the I-81 reconstruction project, Katko spoke with the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), according to the release.

In May 2014, NYSDOT presented 16 different options to replace I-81. Some of the options included rebuilding the interstate into a boulevard, a tunnel, a depressed highway or a rebuilt highway.

A month later, NYSDOT released a draft scoping report, recommending six options with an emphasis on either rebuilding I-81 or replacing it with a street-level highway.

“The I-81 reconstruction project is a once-in-a-generation decision that will shape our community’s infrastructure and economy for decades to come,” Katko said in the release. “I expressed to Secretary Foxx the importance of getting this project right for Central New York, and emphasized my willingness to be a partner for DOT.”

Katko added in the release the importance of delivering a “sustainable, long-term” highway bill as soon as possible.

Like Foxx, Katko said in the release that he is committed to working in a bipartisan manner to find a long-term solution to transportation funding so that “we can provide stability and certainty for our local, state and national infrastructure planning purposes.”

In 2017, the interstate will reach the end of its useful life. By that time, construction is set to start on the new version of the highway.

Published on September 23, 2015 at 8:29 pm

Contact Sara: smswann@syr.edu | @saramswann