Syracuse, N.Y. -- Syracuse University Chancellor Kent Syverud today endorsed the community grid plan for Interstate 81.

Syverud’s announcement is a key endorsement of a plan that many other community leaders have embraced, including Mayor Ben Walsh, the Syracuse Common Council, the Syracuse Housing Authority and more than two dozen local business and advocacy groups.

As an employer, a school and the home to the Carrier Dome, SU will feel the effect of any new I-81 traffic pattern as keenly as any other institution in Syracuse.

“Syracuse University is a crucial stakeholder," Walsh said in a statement this afternoon. “I have tremendous admiration for Chancellor Syverud and his very thoughtful approach to community issues. Given the University’s proximity to the Interstate 81 Viaduct and its connections to the entire region, I’m heartened that the University has reached this conclusion.”

The support from SU comes as the state’s Department of Transportation is expected to release its next big analysis, which will provide further details about the pros and cons of each option for the aging highway.

“Given what we have learned through this process, it is now appropriate for Syracuse University to publicly endorse the Community Grid as our preferred option to replace the existing I-81 viaduct," his letter said.

Syverud said in the letter he came to the decision after consulting with area leaders, faculty and staff. It wasn’t immediately clear if the school’s Board of Trustees had taken a formal position or vote on the matter.

“After careful consideration of the options, I believe we have met our obligation to rigorously investigate and evaluate the social, economic and cultural implications associated with each of the potential I-81 replacement options,” Syverud wrote today in a letter to students, faculty and staff.

The state is considering options for replacing a 1.4-mile section of I-81 that runs between downtown and the University Hill area. The massive project would also involve improvements to the area where I-81 and Interstate 690 cross.

Currently, the state is studying three options: to replace the elevated viaduct, to bury the highway with a tunnel, or to tear down the highway and reroute thru traffic around the city.

This last option – called the community grid plan – would route highway traffic onto Interstate 481 around the eastern side of the city. It would tear down the elevated portion of the highway that includes the Adams/Harrison exit. Instead, commuters would use improved city streets, as well as a new I-690 exit at South Crouse and Irving avenues.

The grid is opposed by some leaders and business owners, especially on the north side of Syracuse and in the suburbs. They fear the loss of a federal highway running through the city will cost jobs and tax receipts at local hotels, gas stations and Destiny USA.

But even some grid opponents have begun to consider the grid – which is the least expensive option – may win. Last week, Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon said he’s working on a plan that could appease some grid opponents, even as he continues to push for a tunnel as a solution.

Below find the entire text from today’s letter from Syverud:

Dear Students, Faculty and Staff:

For many years now, the future of Interstate 81 has been one of the most discussed and debated topics within the City of Syracuse, and throughout Central New York. This is because the I-81 replacement decision represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fundamentally transform the physical infrastructure that connects people and institutions, within and across our community.

To date, Syracuse University has not taken a formal position related to a specific I-81 replacement option. We were reluctant to endorse a specific replacement option because efforts to study and assess the implications of the various options—by New York State and numerous other stakeholder groups—were still in progress. Much of that work is now complete.

Over the past year, I have engaged with city, county, state, business and community leaders related to the myriad of factors that could potentially inform Syracuse University’s position on the future of I-81. Further, I have solicited and received thoughtful input on this complex issue from faculty, staff and students representing the Syracuse University community.

After careful consideration of the options, I believe we have met our obligation to rigorously investigate and evaluate the social, economic and cultural implications associated with each of the potential I-81 replacement options. Given what we have learned through this process, it is now appropriate for Syracuse University to publicly endorse the Community Grid as our preferred option to replace the existing I-81 viaduct.

It is my view that the Community Grid option most strongly aligns with the attributes and outcomes that Syracuse University previously endorsed as central to any I-81 replacement option. These critical attributes include multiple access points to the highway and to University Hill; a robust connection between University Hill and downtown; enhanced public transportation and public space options; environmental and financial sustainability; and minimal disruption to housing, businesses and jobs, both during and after construction. The Community Grid is best positioned to drive meaningful transformation across our community, and in the heart of our City.

I thank all members of the Syracuse University and broader Central New York communities who shared their perspectives with me, as the University carefully assessed this complex issue.

Sincerely, Chancellor Kent Syverud