Charles Garland represents the 16 th District in the Onondaga County Legislature.

Syracuse’s Interstate 81 Community Grid project represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to heal a city that was physically and socially divided by a highway decades ago. Reconnecting neighborhoods and restoring local streets is a worthy goal — one that promises economic and civic renewal. But we must also face the realities that come with such a massive transformation.

As the viaduct comes down and traffic is redirected, residents and commuters are already experiencing what the state’s own environmental studies predicted: heavier congestion, longer commutes and higher accident risks along key city corridors such as Almond, Adams and Harrison streets. The New York State Department of Transporta

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