Syracuse drivers will need to carve out a few more minutes for their travel times on I-81 starting Monday.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — Drivers heading south on Interstate 481 to nearby towns like LaFayette, Tully and the Onondaga Nation will have to carve out some extra time to their schedule starting this Monday.
The second major ramp closure as a part of a $2.25 billion project in Syracuse will affect drivers who take I-481 to get to I-81 South.
The closure is needed to start preparing for a new interchange that will convert I-481 into I-81 and open up a future Business Loop 81, the N.Y. Department of Transportation said.
A map of the detours caused by the I-81 south closures that started on Monday.
Detour signs posted on I-81 south will direct traffic to I-81 north around South Salina St. and Brighton Ave., and will tell drivers to make a left onto East Calthrop Ave. and another left onto the entrance ramp of I-81 south.
The detour will add roughly three minutes and 10 seconds to driver’s routes, according to Syracuse.com.
This is the second ramp to close in the past month, as the DOT closed the ramp that took I-81 south traffic onto I-81 north on September 11. Both closures will be in effect until the spring or 2025, the department says.