Cuomo announces plans to renovate Syracuse airport, gives I-81 update in address

New York state Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Wednesday announced plans to transform the Syracuse Hancock International Airport and to bring the Saab company’s North American defense headquarters to Onondaga County.

In the governor’s State of the State address held inside the Carrier Theater in Syracuse’s Civic Center, Cuomo also touted his proposal to make college tuition-free, emphasized his desire to legalize ride-hailing services in the state, addressed the future of Interstate 81 in the Syracuse area and said manufacturing in the state will be prioritized.

The speech was Cuomo’s fifth State of the State address in three days as he travels across the state to deliver the speeches in different regions.

The state and Onondaga County will partner to make improvements to the airport, Cuomo said, with the state contributing $35.8 million to the $45 million project. Renderings of a modernized airport appeared on a projector behind Cuomo during his speech, displaying an airport with solar rooftop panels, a glass pedestrian bridge and a newly-designed interior.

The transformation will be completed within 24 months and will create 869 construction jobs, Cuomo said.

In an interview following Cuomo’s address, Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner called the planned renovations “very good news.”

“The airport is a huge economic driver for the region,” she said. “… I think it’s going to be good for the overall region.”

Cuomo also announced that Saab, a technology company, will bring its North American defense headquarters to Onondaga County. Cuomo said the state will contribute $30 million to the headquarters.

The establishing of the headquarters will bring 260 high-tech jobs to the region, Cuomo said. Saab currently operates two facilities in East Syracuse: one at 5717 Enterprise Parkway and another at 85 Collamer Crossing Pkwy.

Other business discussed

Here is what Cuomo had to say about tuition-free college, ride-hailing services, I-81 and manufacturing:

Tuition-free college

Cuomo advertised his proposal to make college tuition-free, the first signature proposal he announced earlier this week, when he unveiled it with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders (I). Under the proposal, college would be tuition free for the state’s middle-class families at all State University of New York and City University of New York colleges.

Mayor Miner said she likes the idea of the proposal, but added that “we have to look at the details of it.”

“This is a speech where you have big announcements and then you have the session to kind of get the details out,” she said. “And my experience has been that once those details are out, it looks a little bit different than what was announced.”

Ride-hailing services

Cuomo said it is “unfair” that ride-hailing services such as Uber and Lyft are legal in New York City but not the rest of the state. Earlier this week he announced a proposal to enable ride-hailing services to operate state-wide.

“Ride-(hailing) creates jobs,” he said. “It saves lives.”

I-81

Last fall, the New York state Department of Transportation appeared to narrow down its options for renovations to a portion of I-81 in Syracuse to two: removing the elevated portion of the highway and making it a community grid, or simply widening that portion of the highway.

The DOT had eliminated a tunnel replacement as an option, but on Wednesday, Cuomo indicated that the DOT will study the tunnel option, in addition to the other two.

“We want to make sure we look at it from all angles to make the best decision that we can,” Cuomo said.

Manufacturing

Calling manufacturing “the bread and butter” of communities, Cuomo said the state has a responsibility to support American jobs. The governor said he will enact a proposal to give preference to American-made products, with manufacturing in the state being expanded.