Kimberly A. Boynton is chair of the University Hill Corporation and is president and CEO of Crouse Health. David A. Mankiewicz is president of the University Hill Corporation.

By Kimberly A. Boynton and David Mankiewicz

The University Hill Corporation is a private, not-for-profit organization that seeks to encourage the growth and development of the University Hill district in Syracuse. Its members consist of Crouse Health, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse University, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, the Veterans Affairs Medical Center and the Richard Hutchings Psychiatric Center, as well as the business associations, religious organizations and other major not-for-profit organizations and stakeholders within the University Hill district. Our membership employs over 22,000 people and educates 25,000 students every year.

University Hill hospitals serve 55,000 inpatients, provide for 176,000 emergency room visits and receive over 1.1 million outpatient clinic visits each year. These hospitals provide advanced medical care for the region, a Level 1 trauma center, a children's hospital, a neonatal intensive care unit, a burn unit and the largest cancer center in the region. All require thousands of people using I-81 every day to access our medical care services, many of which are critical access services. Because of its importance to us, the University Hill Corporation members believe that the replacement proposed for the Interstate 81 viaduct must incorporate the following:

1. Provide multiple access points to the highway system and provide high-quality entrances to University Hill: Currently University Hill is overly dependent on one main access point to the interstate system - the Harrison/Adams interchange of I-81. We need a plan that will diversify how the increasing number of users get to University Hill.

2. Maintain east-west connections between University Hill and downtown: There is a growing integration between University Hill on the east side of I-81 and downtown Syracuse on the west side. Some of the proposals call for the closure of the east/west streets that link downtown and University Hill. Our institutions and the state have invested millions of dollars in research and development facilities such as the Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems and the Central New York Biotechnology Accelerator. Closing streets that provide access to these facilities between the university area and downtown is unacceptable.



3. Provide for alternate transportation options such as mass transit or park and ride systems: University Hill's employees and students are depending on collaborative transit choices. The plan for I-81 solution must incorporate transit options that reduce dependence on automobile traffic to University Hill.



4. Be a sustainable solution meeting best environmental practices and creating inviting public spaces: University Hill must meet the needs of thousands of patients with compromised medical conditions. We must protect those patients from the consequences of vehicle exhaust air emissions. We have medical equipment and research instrumentation that will be affected if there is excessive vibration during construction of the highway. Any plan for construction must recognize the special needs of the patients and the hospitals to guarantee unimpeded 24/7 emergency access to the facilities during construction and to adopt technologies during construction to minimize noise and vibration.



5. Have a reasonable capital cost and a credible maintenance plan: We understand the expense of building new infrastructure and believe that cost should play an important factor in the selection of an option. The solutions should not just be compared with an analysis of initial capital cost but should incorporate the lifetime cost of operating and maintaining it, as well. The I-81 solution should include a maintenance plan, and an estimate of the projected operating and maintenance cost that may be charged to our community.



6. Minimize property seizures, demolition and forced relocation, particularly with regard to the housing vulnerable: The history of the construction of I-81 is intertwined with the worst of urban renewal efforts, as it cut directly through the historic center of the African-American community in Syracuse. That mistake must not be repeated. Solutions that minimize housing, business and job displacement should be given the highest priority.



7. Minimize the impact of construction on our community: The length of construction should be reasonable. Our operations depend on the ability to get incoming students and their families, visitors to our hospital patients, and tourists to major attractions such as the Carrier Dome to our campuses at all times. We need to minimize confusion and delay that inevitably occurs during a project of this magnitude.

We look forward to the issuance of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement and the important information that it includes. Once we have the appropriate amount of time to review the information, the University Hill Corporation intends to determine what option best suits the needs of our collective stakeholders.

We thank Gov. Andrew Cuomo, NYSDOT Commissioner Matt Driscoll and the I-81 project staff for their continued engagement with the University Hill community on this very important matter and we look forward to maintaining our productive dialogue as the process moves forward.