NY proposes $68 million highway interchange near Clay complex

This map shows the approximate location of the proposed Pardee Road interchange on Interstate 81 in Cicero. The new interchange would serve northern Onondaga County suburbs as Micron Technology moves forward with plans to build a massive microchip manufacturing plant in Clay.

Syracuse, NY — New York State plans to build a new interchange on Interstate 81 in Cicero to handle Micron technology-related growth in Syracuse's northern suburbs.

The Pardee Road interchange would be about 2 miles north of the Route 31 interchange. It would include on and off ramps in both directions, two roundabouts and a bridge over I-81 that would connect to Route 11.

The $68 million interchange would be built directly east of the Micron Technology campus, which stretches from Caughdenoy Road in Clay to Route 11 in Cicero.

The new interchange would ease access to Micron and relieve pressure on the clogged Route 31 interchange, said James D'Agostino, executive director of the Syracuse Metropolitan Transportation Council.

“There is a need for additional interstate access in this part of the city,” D’Agostino said. “Regardless of Micron, it’s justifiable, but with Micron, it’s justifiable with an exclamation point.”

Micron plans to build a massive computer chip factory at White Pine Commerce Park, on the northeast corner of Route 31 and Caughdenoy Road. The Micron plant could ultimately include four manufacturing plants, or fabs, and employ 9,000 people by 2041. The project could create 40,000 additional jobs in the region and increase the county's population by more than 100,000 people, say those responsible.

It's not just Micron. To the west, on the several-mile stretch of Highway 31 that runs from the I-481 intersection to Micron, is a sprawling billion-dollar project that has been proposed. The redevelopment of the former Great Northern Mall aims to include seven hotels, nearly 1,700 apartments and condos, and more than 1 million square feet of retail, office and entertainment space.

The transportation board's policy committee voted unanimously to approve the project earlier this month. It's an early but necessary step toward spending federal money intended for the region's highways. About 90 percent of the cost of the new interchange would come from the federal government, D'Agostino said.

Exchange is, until now, only a concept. There are no maps or drawings; just a few short paragraphs in a public notice published by the local transportation board. A spokesperson for the state Department of Transportation said by email that the interchange is in the “preliminary stages of planning” and provided no further details.

The next step, D'Agostino said, is for the state to launch an engineering design study to determine exactly where the interchange should go and what it should look like. Construction is expected to begin in 2026 and be completed in 2027, a timeline D'Agostino called “optimistic.”

Work could be delayed if the Federal Highway Administration determines that the new interchange must be studied as part of Micron's environmental impact statements. If that's the case, D'Agostino said, the project can't start until those statements are made. Otherwise, work could move forward more quickly but would still have to be reviewed by the highway administration.

Micron must prepare comprehensive reports for state and federal governments detailing the manufacturing complex's impact on the environment, including traffic. Those reports were originally supposed to be released now, but they are still months away, officials said.

D'Agostino said major construction is also planned to upgrade the Route 31 interchange. It would be much easier if the new interchange opened first, he said.

“You can’t rebuild 31 without shutting it down or significantly reducing its capacity during construction,” he said. A newly opened exit, he added, “will give you a relief valve to the north that will allow this construction to proceed with a lot less disruption to people.”

The state is already rebuilding I-81 and I-481 from downtown to Clay. With the addition of the two Cicero projects, highway construction could extend more than 15 miles over the next few years.