Will Syracuse Get It Right?

A Salina forum on rebuilding Interstate 81: Raw exchange on 'suffering' goes to core of debate

Tuesday, downtown developer Bob Doucette, a founder of Armory Square, gave a presentation on why he wants the interstate gone. He did it on the home court of Mark Nicotra, Salina supervisor and a principal in Save I-81, a group that calls for keeping the high-speed interstate more or less where it is.

This was much like the debate in Utica over the N-S Arterial remake. Neighbors of the highway in-town pushed for a boulevard while suburban interests wanted an expressway.  In Utica, the suburban interests prevailed.

Syracuse has something that Utica did not have:  a successful developer pushing for a boulevard. It will be interesting to see if the Syracuse project turns out differently.