Interstate 781 New York
Proposed Routing
Interstate 781 is the designation proposed for the Fort Drum Connector freeway from Interstate 81 east to U.S. 11.1,2 The freeway would serve Fort Drum, which is located just north of Watertown, New York.
Schedule
Plans call for the Fort Drum Connector to be built and opened to traffic by 2012 at a cost of $106.2 million.3 The planning, design, and construction process took the better part of a decade to complete:
- Preliminary Design - Summer 2003 to Summer 2006
- Design/Project Development- Winter 2006 to Spring 2010
- Bid Opening - Spring 2010
- Construction - Spring 2010 to Spring 2012
Background/History
Due to increasing development, strategic connectivity between Interstate 81 and Fort Drum, and overall traffic needs the connector (now dubbed Interstate 781) has been proposed for at least a decade. This need was first identified in the mid-1980s and has grown as development has sprouted and New York 342 unable to handle the daily traffic to and from the base. The main purpose of the project is to provide a four-lane, Interstate-grade connection from Interstate 81 east to Fort Drum (U.S. Army Base). The goal is to enhance the "strategic viability of the Army Base," replacing the current route along two-lane New York 342.4
Three alternatives were identified in the Final Environmental Impact Statement to carry Interstate 781 to the north gate of Fort Drum:
- Northern Alignment - new freeway parallel to but north of New York 342
- Middle Alignment - follow and upgrade New York 342 to Interstate standards, then create new alignment to reach the north gate of Fort Drum
- Southern Alignment - new freeway parallel to but mostly south of New York 342, with a swing northeast toward the north gate of Fort Drum
The Record of Decision, which was issued on March 6, 2009, by the Federal Highway Administration, identified the Northern Alternative as the preferred alignment for Interstate 781. The report identified the highway as Route 781, without indicating the intended final designation of Interstate 781. With the Record of Decision complete, construction is scheduled to begin in early 2010.
|
|
| This terminus location is just an approximation at the current time. Therefore we didn't try to photograph the location and submissions of potential termini not requested at this time. |
| This terminus location is just an approximation at the current time. Therefore we didn't try to photograph the location and submissions of potential termini not requested at this time. |
|
|
|
Sources
- Fort Drum Connector Project (I-81 to US 11) Construction Information - Interstate 781 is identified on the four grade-separation structures on the route between Interstate 81 and U.S. 11
- Next step taken in building new road. DRUM CONNECTOR: State seeks support from towns, county, Watertown Daily Times, by Sarah M. Rivette, July 1, 2008 - "The state Department of Transportation has written four letters asking for support in advance of seeking interstate designation for the long-awaited project. The letters were sent out recently to the town of Pamelia, town of LeRay, city of Watertown and Jefferson County by DOT. The letters identified the new connector road as Interstate 781 and chose what has been referred to as the northern alternative route. It would create a new exit one mile north of exit 48 on Interstate 81."
- Fort Drum Connector Project (I-81 to US 11) - Project I.D. No. 7804.26 (official site)
- Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Fort Drum Connector Project (November 2008)
Page Updated August 23, 2009.
|
