A state Supreme Court judge has ordered the New York State Department of Transportation to temporarily halt the I-81 community grid project.
Judge Gerard Neri Thursday granted a temporary injunction sought against the plan.
It comes after lawyers representing the group "Renew 81," who filed a petition citing violations against environmental laws to halt the planned community grid project and the NYSDOT were in court for the first time Thursday.
They are also arguing that the state did not follow the rules on the environmental review and climate change laws.
The group also said that with the latest Micron deal, traffic will also be an issue.
"This is really made a lot bigger by the Micron project. We want people on the south side of Syracuse to be able to get to work and work up in Clay. How are they going to do that? They’re not going to have an interstate anymore," said Alan Knauf, a law partner with Knauf Shaw LLP.
Charles Garland, who is the Onondaga Countylegislator representing the area that will be most impacted by this project and part of the Renew 81 group, issued a statement saying:
“We were finally heard. This time it did not fall on deaf ears. The judge heard the same arguments that we’ve been giving for years to the city and the NYSDOT. We have been vilified ostracized and ignored. We want the progress but why can’t we compromise. It should benefit everyone-not just a select few. Come back to the table so we can address these issues. We on the Southside who are In the Black American community that has the highest chronic respiratory issues and hospitalizations due to health problems … this impacts us the most.”
Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh also released a statement, saying:
“The preliminary injunction is another unnecessary delay to progress on the Interstate 81 project. It risks a setback to local people who need the jobs and opportunity that the $2 billion-plus infrastructure investment will create. The project has undergone a rigorous multi-year state review and is authorized by a federal Record of Decision. It should continue to move ahead, and I look forward to the State’s response to the judge’s ruling. The City is focused on working with the New York State Department of Transportation and local stakeholders to achieve the full benefits of the Community Grid alternative. We’ve also worked shoulder to shoulder with local, state and federal partners to make sure local residents get the training and preparation they need to build careers.”
The injuction means any work, including the granting of contracts to teardown the current I-81, cannot happen until the two sides meet again in court in January.