Dear editor,

I write to express my concern about the state Department of Transportation’s as yet unreleased Draft Environmental Impact Statement on options for replacing the I-81 viaduct through downtown Syracuse. In a letter shared with department officials last week, I urged them to release the DEIS no later than April 1.

We have known about the need for changes to the current highway for more than a decade, and the passage of time has made the need for action more critical than ever. Just as urgent, however, is the need for the public to have adequate time to read and respond to the report upon its release. The options under consideration are complex and carry enormous potential impacts, particularly for residents and businesses living or working near the existing highway.

For this reason, I urge the state to expand the mandatory 45-day public comment period following release of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement to a minimum of 60 days. During this time, state Department of Transportation officials must make a multifaceted, good-faith effort to gather public input from those most directly impacted by whatever decision is made — notably, city residents and businesses. This means we need lots of public meetings with ample prior notice, and scheduled at times when residents and businesspeople from all corners of the city and region are most likely to be able to attend.

Every day that goes by without a final environmental impact statement creates more uncertainty. We need facts and we need action—but action informed by a thorough and comprehensive outreach effort to solicit broad public input. I again call on the state to release the Draft Environmental Impact Statement no later than April 1, and to follow that with an expanded period of 60 days for public input into what surely will be a momentous decision for central New York’s future.

Sincerely,

Rachel May

Senator, 53rd District

New York State Senate

Published on March 12, 2019 at 2:55 pm