I-81, a major north-south route in New York, historically ran through downtown Syracuse on an elevated viaduct. In 2024, construction began on a series of projects to remove re-route I-81 onto I-481, the eastern bypass of Syracuse, and convert the existing route of I-81 into a business loop, with the viaduct removed and that portion brought down to street level. The Federal Highway Administration officially changed the designations in 2026. NYSDOT has website for the viaduct project depicting how the area will be reconfigured.
The images below have been obtained from Google Earth.
The centerpiece of I-81 through Syracuse was the I-690 interchange, shown here from 2019 (Google).
The viaduct continued south from the I-690 interchange, shown here from 2019 (Google).
The southern interchange between I-81 and I-481, historic exit 16A, was upgraded as part of the effort to move I-81 to I-481. The image above is from 2019 (Google).
I-81 at historic exit 17 (Brighton Avenue/Salina Street) in 2019 (Google).
I-81 around historic exits 21 (Spencer Street) and 22 (Court Street) in 2019 (Google).
The northern interchange between I-81 and I-481, historic exit 29, was a cloverleaf prior to 2025 when the new configuration to provide high-speed movements for the new alignment of I-81 opened. The images above are from 2019 (top, Google) and 2026 (bottom, Google/Airbus).
The interchange between I-81 (former I-481) and NY 5/NY 92 was reconfigured to eliminate the southbound loop ramp and replace it with a left turn from the other southbound off ramp as part of the upgrade. The images above are from 2019 (top, Google) and 2025 (bottom, Google/Airbus).