Cones, cones everywhere…
Written by Bernice Silvas
Anyone who has driven through Syracuse during the endless I-81 construction knows how common delays, detours, and major roadwork projects have become across Central New York. The main culprit? Micron.
Micron, a leading manufacturer of AI memory, makes storage technologies like DRAM, NAND, and NOR, and is hoping to invest $100 billion over the next 20 years to build four semiconductor fabrication plants (“fabs”) in Clay, New York. This project is one of the largest investments in New York State history and is slated to generate up to 50,000 jobs.
To accommodate the predicted population and traffic growth, New York has partnered with engineering firm Hardesty & Hanover (H&H). Funded with $9.4 million over five years, H&H is designing highway exits on 481 and widening lanes on Routes 11 and 31. This will result in a new four-lane access road to Caughdenoy Road, and create a new Route 481 interchange. Most notably, the state plans to reconstruct the Route 31/I-81 interchange into a Diverging Diamond Interchange (DDI), or double crossover diamond.
This innovative design crosses street traffic to the opposite side of the road between freeway ramps, using free-flow turns to allow seamless ramp access without stopping. Currently, New York operates multiple DDIs all across the state.
Contrary to negative stereotypes depicting construction as unskilled and unsafe, the industry relies on highly precise, craft-based trades. Workers are compensated well for this specialized training, earning an average salary of $59,280 in New York. For individuals interested in STEM, construction provides diverse career paths, including field engineers and surveyors. Even trades like architecture and welding heavily incorporate STEM principles into construction, requiring precise geometry or mastery of metallurgy.
The construction industry’s unfavorable reputation for slow progress often masks the reality of severe labor shortages and complex engineering challenges. As historic projects like Micron’s fabs and the innovative Route 31/I-81 DDI advance, it is vital that the role of STEM in construction inspire a new generation of skilled professionals, altering public perception and ensuring smoother infrastructure development.
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