Grains of Salt (v53): Community Gridlock (Pt. 2)

In Part 1 of this series, I gave some background on the I-81 project, the current lawsuit, and state Supreme Court Justice Gerard Neri's decision to allow work related to I-481 - but not the viaduct removal - to continue.

In this post, I explore some of the implications of his decision, starting with his comments on Micron.

The Micron project is expected to be transformational for Central New York. Over the next two decades, the massive chip manufacturing facility, about 14 miles north of the viaduct, is expected to bring tens of thousands of direct and ancillary jobs. The company is promising a $100B investment, some of which is already flowing into the community.

In his decision, CNY Central reported, Neri said

Unless Respondents [NYS, City of Syracuse] are arguing that statements by the Governor and other elected officials are not factually supported, the Micron Project dwarfs the I-81 Project, much less anything this community has seen. It is just too massive to ignore.

He also referenced "projections from Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon that the community will grow by 200,000 in 20 years, as well as figures from CenterState CEO that 125,000 will come in the next decade."

Below are a few of my thoughts on the Micron aspects of Neri's decision.

Where are those 125,000 - 200,000 people going to live? We have no idea, really. Some may choose an urban lifestyle and live in the city of Syracuse. Some may opt for a quick commute and live in Clay or Cicero. Others may want to live a little further out in the east or west suburbs, while others may go to the far reaches of Onondaga County or neighboring counties. Depending on where they end up, the presence or lack of a viaduct may be meaningless.

There may not be a single 'Micron project' resident impacted by the I-81 project. People who have jobs find a way to get to work on time. I'd suggest this is true of Micron's future employees, just like it's always been true of folks who work downtown, in the suburbs, or in a different county. 

By the way, that happens every day in Central New York; just ask anyone who lives in Oswego, Jefferson, Cayuga, Madison, Cortland, or other counties and comes to work in Syracuse or the suburbs. They've figured out how to make it work, and they've been doing it for decades. Is it so hard to think that newcomers to our area wouldn't be able to figure it out, too?

The same may be said for commercial traffic, too. Micron isn't in CNY now; the company's US locations are in Boise, ID and Manassas, VA; the latter plant is about an hour away from I-81. Should we be required to project how trucks would move between the two plants? Or how suppliers would get from where they are to where Micron will be? At what point do the required projections stop?

What if the Micron project isn't fully realized? The company has been cutting staff and slicing executive pay as demand for their chips slows. Some people weren't convinced we'd see the whole project come to be, even before the cost-cutting measures were announced. But Syracuse will still be here, and the I-81 viaduct will still be past the 'death date,' already six years in the rearview mirror. At what point do we stop projecting and start working?

What comes after the traffic projections are made? Is merely submitting the report sufficient? Or, if the study Neri required determines that there will be an additional volume of cars using the community grid when the viaduct is taken down, what then? Who decides what the grid can support? City engineers? The NYSDOT? Justice Neri or some other elected official? And what criteria apply? Is it too many cycles through the traffic lights? The ratio of electric cars to the total population? How cold a cup of DD coffee gets while you wait?

More importantly, if the decision is that the grid can't support the projected volume, who decides which solution replaces or supplements the grid? Again, is that up to City engineers? The NYSDOT? Neri or some other elected official? 

Or - truly our worst nightmare - do we have to start the entire process all over again?

Grains of Salt (v53): Community Gridlock (Pt. 1)

Interstate 81 runs through the middle of downtown Syracuse on an elevated viaduct.  In 2017, the elevated portion of the highway reached the end of its useful life.

Before and after the viaduct's 'death date, ' multiple solutions have been considered, including fixing the highway until it falls down; putting up a wider viaduct that meets current safety standards; digging one or more tunnels; installing a below-grade highway; creating a street-level grid; some combination of those options; or something else we've not yet considered. 

Perhaps a blessing of unicorns should be an option?

Over the years, we've 'considered' this to death. My last post on the project was nearly four years ago when the state issued its final recommendation; here's an excerpt.

After months and months of fits and starts, including a call for a do-over from our Sonofa Gov Andrew Cuomo to consider a tunnel option, we now have the recommendation from the state, and they believe a community grid is the best option for the Central New York area. 

Since that recommendation was made, there's been no shortage of arguing and complaining, some of which has spilled over into the courts. The current suit was brought by a group called You Can Tear the Viaduct Out from Under My Cold Dead Car, You Sons of Bitches!  The group (its name is shortened to Renew 81 for All in court papers), is led by former Syracuse Police Chief Frank Fowler, County Legislator Charles Garland, and folks from the east, west, and north suburbs.  

The plaintiffs want a giant skybridge, much wider and higher than the current viaduct. This solution would preserve the northern business corridor - a partially-empty mall that gets much of its tourist traffic from Canada, and several hotels even further north of the viaduct than the mall.  Notably, the mall and the hotels would still be reachable using the same road we call I-81 today, which will be rebranded as Business Route 81.

The skybridge would also preserve life as it's known in the eastern and western suburbs, where I-81 isn't; provide an opportunity to name the bridge after a historical figure (Harriet Tubman is the current choice); and require tearing down some 40-odd buildings in Syracuse forcing businesses, social service organizations, and more to relocate, or close. 

The @SyracuseHistory Instagram account featured the buildings that would be sacrificed in Tubman's name. 

Last November, state Supreme Court Justice Gerard Neri halted all work on the project; in December, he allowed paperwork - but not physical work - to proceed pending a January hearing. This week, we got his ruling. According to reporting from Syracuse.com, 

Neri agreed with Renew 81 that the environmental review of the project was incomplete. Among other details, the (justice) said DOT must account for traffic that will come from Micron Technology’s planned chip fab in Clay, which is expected to bring a surge of population growth to the area. He also ordered the state to study the potential for new air pollution along the suburban route of Interstate 481 if the viaduct is removed and traffic diverts to 481.

His decision allows work on I-481 (adding lanes, updating on- and off-ramps, etc.), which makes up the early phases of the project, to continue. But before the viaduct can come down in a few years, WAER reported, Neri wants a supplemental EIS that includes future traffic projections to reflect Micron’s "anticipated population and traffic growth," air quality monitoring on I-481, and a final plan for stormwater runoff submitted before the viaduct is removed.  

In Part 2, I'll look at the possible impacts of Neri's decision. 

Quick Takes (v67): He Wants to Be The Gov?

Today was a day of celebration in my neck of the woods.

President Biden came to town, along with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, and Governor Kathy Hochul.

They were all here, along with Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon, business and labor organizations, education folks, and other community leaders and invited guests, who joined Micron President and CEO Sanjay Mehrotra to celebrate the chip company's long-term, $100B investment in Onondaga County that will bring some 40,000 jobs to the area over the next two decades. 

Rep. Lee Zeldin (R- Crime Stoppers Fan Club) the guy who wants to be governor of our state, was in Syracuse to talk about crime (what else?) and was asked about the Micron project. Here's what he had to say about it.

I think the Micron deal tells you a story of where the business climate is right now in this state. See in other states, they have businesses coming to the state because of low taxes, the regulatory environment, state agencies are run with a very pro-business approach. The business climates in other states are so much better, businesses just move to the state. There’s no way to get Micron to come to New York for low taxes. There’s no way to get Micron to come to New York because of the great regulatory environment. They’re not coming here because the state agencies are run by this great pro-business culture. They’re not coming here because we have one of the best business climates in the country. 

You have to look at why they’re coming here, how we got here, what it took to get them here, because the fact that we’ve reached the point where we essentially have to bribe businesses to come to New York with billions of dollars of tax breaks, who won’t come here otherwise, I think highlights this state is heading in the wrong direction. Because we want other businesses to come to New York. 

And on what will happen if he's elected, he added

We’ll work with Micron. We’ll do whatever we can to improve the business climate in this state, but as far as bringing other businesses to this state, we really have to get much smarter with our mindset.

Perhaps Rep. Zeldin should get his head out of the daily NYC crime reports (he tweets them regularly), and pay attention to what's required to secure deals like this. The truth is, they don't just fall from the sky and land in someone's lap. It's not like the opening of a hot dog stand, for Pete's sake. 

If you don't believe me, listen to the people in central Texas, who fought long and hard for the Micron deal. 

LOCKHART, Texas — On Tuesday, Micron Technology announced a new investment worth up to $100 billion in Central New York. The company had forced a bargaining battle between Clay, New York, and Lockhart, Texas.

"It was billions in tax savings, both ad valorem and sales tax. It was billions in our rates for electric and water, so all of those combined made the billions of dollars," Caldwell County Judge Hoppy Haden said. "The art of dealmaking is knowing when to, you know, say, 'That's my best offer. It's my best and final.'" 

Haden led the team offering the multibillion-dollar incentive package for the Lockhart area. 

I guess we should be happy Zeldin will "work with Micron" if he's elected, but I can't help wondering what would have happened had he been the governor already. Would we be welcoming the company to New York, or would we be waving goodbye to the Micron opportunity as it passed us by on the way to Texas? (Speaking of waving goodbye to opportunity, here's what Rep. Zeldin had to say when NYC lost the Amazon HQ2 project to Virginia.)

As governor, would he have collaborated with everyone - folks from both sides of the aisle - to ensure passage of the legislation that helped bring this deal to NY? Who knows - but there is one thing we do know. 

He didn't vote for it.