A view of the hole from Salina Street
/ file photo
SYRACUSE -- The portion of Interstate 690 that's been shut down for weeks has finally reopened.
A section of I-690 westbound near the I-81 interchange has been down to one lane since June 28th due to a gaping hole found in the bridge portion of the highway.
The State Department of Transportation now tells CNY Central the hole is fixed. We went to the area this afternoon and saw traffic flowing normally again.
That's good news to the ears of thousand of Central New Yorkers who will take the highway heading home to the western suburbs. Were you impacted by the repair work and traffic delays? Many Central New Yorkers complained to us that the repair work was a major hassle, and the debate over dismantling the elevated highway through Syracuse was brought up once again.
The hole in I-690 has been the source of traffic back-ups for weeks. The three-foot hole popped up in the bridge deck in the left lane on the westbound side of 690 near West Street.
That spot of the bridge has been fixed before, but the bridges are old and still need work. They were building the mid to late 1960's and they're about 40 years old. Typically, bridges last about 50 years.
Crews will still need to do some work next week repairing cracking in additional joins. That will affect the right lane of 690 between Townsend and Lodi Streets. The DOT has not released the dates and times when that work will be done.
Are you pleased or disappointed by the amount of time it took to fix the hole? Have you seen other trouble spots that may be in need of repair? Leave your thoughts below.
