Syracuse’s Midland Avenue reconstruction begins June 1, expected through fall

A major reconstruction project on Midland Avenue began Monday, bringing milling, paving, sidewalk repairs and traffic signal upgrades to the South Side corridor between West Ostrander Avenue and West Seneca Turnpike. The city said the work will move forward in phases so traffic can keep moving as much as possible, but drivers should still expect delays and use alternate routes when they can.

The Midland Avenue 2R Paving Project, PIN 3756.83, was awarded April 20 to Nardozzi Paving & Construction LLC for $4,249,000. City officials said the job goes beyond a fresh layer of asphalt: crews are also set to replace curbs, improve pedestrian crossings, update signage and striping, adjust utility infrastructure and plant new street trees in select locations.

For people who use Midland Avenue every day, the impact will be immediate. The corridor carries commuter traffic, connects neighborhoods and serves as a school and transit route. Centro’s Syracuse School Routes include service along Midland Avenue, with a route ending at Midland Ave / Bellevue Ave, which means bus riders and families traveling to and from school should be prepared for shifting traffic patterns and possible slowdowns near the work zone. Homeowners and nearby businesses will also have to work around construction noise, sidewalk disruptions and the stop-and-start pace that comes with phased road work.

The project fits into Syracuse’s broader 2026 reconstruction push, which the city said covered about 20 miles of streets across the city. Officials said about 18 miles of road reconstruction were completed in 2025, and the current plan paired road repairs with sidewalk replacement, including $14 million for roads and $3 million for sidewalks. City leaders have said the broader strategy is meant to align resurfacing with underground utility upgrades through a “Dig Once” approach, so crews can limit repeated cuts into the same street in the years ahead.

Midland Avenue has been on the city’s radar for years. A 2023 notice on the corridor described paving between West Seneca Turnpike, also known as NY 173, and West Ostrander Avenue, and said vehicles and driveways were expected to remain accessible during construction. The route was also flagged in the city’s 2025 road-reconstruction planning, when officials said work could run into late fall or early winter. With this year’s project now underway, the short-term inconvenience is being traded for a corridor that city officials say should be safer, better connected and more durable beneath the surface.