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The final environmental impact statement for the Interstate 81 project in Syracuse was released to the public on Friday, and it won't be long before construction begins on the years-long project.

The FEIS document is thousands of pages long, according to state Department of Transportation (DOT) officials.

It can be found here.

There will be a 30-day review period for the public, though it will not be officially open to public comment. According to DOT I-81 Project Director Mark Frechette, it is an opportunity for transparency.

“So this way, people will be able to see our cards on the table, they’ll be able to see our responses to all the comments they had,” Frechette said.

He said the final document has many changes marked with lines on the side of each change, but the overall project of a community grid and the major changes of moving the roundabout haven’t changed.

Many of the changes include noise barrier walls along the corridor, a new air-quality analysis, reevaluation of engineering and storm water drainage.

Frechette said though major changes will be unlikely, some changes will likely come during the process as no contracts have yet to be signed and stakeholders have not yet reviewed the final document.

“The development of projects is a journey, and that doesn’t mean we get into construction and put our heads in the sand and build whatever we designed," he said. "There are times that we can make some changes, even during the construction phases, and we do, specifically managing traffic during construction.”

In February, the price of the project was bumped from $1.9 billion to $2.25 billion, an increase driven by inflation.

Last year, the state put forth $800 million for the project and this year, $1.1 billion, enough to begin contract bidding and construction, said Frechette.

Securing additional funding will happen throughout the course of construction. The project is expected to last six years.

“But we haven’t put one contract out yet. We haven’t selected one contractor yet. We don’t know all of the cost perimeters. It’s our best estimate at 2.25,” Frechette said.

Following the 30-day review, a record of the decision will be signed, finalizing the document.