Five Exhibits to be on Display at this Year’s Extravaganza, including Relocated I-81 Community Outreach Center, Interactive Traffic Display, Live School Bus Inspections, Recruitment Teams and a Life-Sized Snowblower
Listen to the Latest DOT POD Podcast Featuring New State Fair Director Julie LaFave and DOT’s Amber Stevens Here
Floor Map of the I-81 Roundabout to be Constructed on Van Buren Street Attached
State Department of Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez today announced that the Department will be taking up an entire wing of the Science and Industry Building at the 2024 Great New York State Fair, which takes place in Syracuse from Wednesday, August 21 through Monday, September 2. This one-stop transportation shop featuring five exhibits, including a scaled-down I-81 Viaduct Project roundabout, will provide thousands of fairgoers with an opportunity to learn more about the Department of Transportation, its mission and its people, and the many ways the Department works to enhance safety for all New Yorkers.
Newly-appointed State Fair Director Julie LaFave recently sat down for an interview for the “DOT POD” podcast with co-hosts Josh Heller and Anya Kardos to talk about what’s new and Great at this year’s Fair as well as the coordination involved in putting on such a massive event, while NYSDOT’s Emergency Management Coordinator Amber Stevens spoke about the Department’s coordinating role in the Traffic Management Command Post and participation with partners in the Joint Operations Center at the Fair. Josh and Anya will be podcasting live from the Fairgrounds periodically during the 13-day Fair. The 30-minute podcast is available here.
“The Great New York State Fair is the largest extravaganza of agriculture, education and entertainment in all of upstate New York, and the Department of Transportation us enormously proud of the role we play annually as exhibitors and as part of the overall traffic safety plan for the State Fair,” Commissioner Dominguez said. “The Department of Transportation has a huge presence at the Fair, from the recently constructed Orange Lot to the new Highway Workers Memorial, and we are very excited to utilize an entire wing of the Science and Industry Building for our engaging and interactive exhibits which highlight projects, people and the diversity of work we undertake as part of our important safety mission. Fairgoers won’t believe what we have in store for them this year!”
NYSDOT will be home to five exhibits in the Science and Industry Building at the 2024 Great New York State Fair, including:
- I-81 Viaduct Project: Last year, the I-81 Viaduct Project team staffed an exhibit at the Center of Progress Building. This year, the I-81 Viaduct Project Outreach Center, permanently located at the Hills Building on Montgomery Street in downtown Syracuse, will be relocated to the Science and Industry Building for the duration of the Fair. The Outreach Center at Tucker Hills Missionary Baptist Church in Syracuse will remain open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., during the New York State Fair. Members of the I-81 Viaduct Project team will be at the Science and Industry Building day and night, to answer questions from the public about the single largest project in NYSDOT history. The I-81 Viaduct Project exhibit will also feature a scaled-down version of the future roundabout on Van Buren Street, part of future Business Loop 81 in Syracuse. A photo of the roundabout is attached. For the eighth year, the I-81 Viaduct Project team will take part in Latino Village Weekend, happening August 29 through September 2, on the west end of the fairgrounds.
- Traffic Safety and Mobility: The Department’s Office of Traffic Safety and Mobility will be on hand with an interactive display featuring Adaptive Signal Controls, providing fairgoers with an opportunity to test out Adaptive Signal Controls on a demonstration traffic signal.
- Recruitment: The Department of Transportation is always in the market for dedicated workers who are interested in joining our team, and the NY HELPS program overseen by the Department of Civil Service is enabling thousands of New Yorkers to be hired based on their real-world experience. Come check out the exciting opportunities to join one of the most elite transportation departments in the nation during the Fair. A listing of jobs available at NYSDOT under the NY HELPS program is available here.
- School Bus Inspection: School bus inspectors from our Modal Safety team will perform live bus inspections on an electric school bus twice a day, and staff will be on hand recruiting for inspectors throughout the 13 days.
- Office of Fleet Administration: A large snowblower maintained by the Office of Fleet Administration will be on display, allowing fairgoers to see firsthand the scale of its operation and giving them an idea of the kinds of equipment utilized by NYSDOT maintenance crews during large scale snow and ice events. Fleet Administration will once again be partnering with SUNY Cobleskill to speak with fairgoers and potential employees about creating a path from education to a career in transportation.Theexhibit will also feature a mini electric excavator that SUNY Cobleskill students and DOT workers train on in preparation for the future influx of electric vehicle equipment in fleet shops across New York State.
The Department also encourages fairgoers to visit the permanent Highway Workers Memorial, officially unveiled by Governor Hochul in August 2021 andlocated near the midway entrance and west of the Horticulture Building on the fairgrounds. The memorial honors all transportation workers killed while performing their job duties on or near New York’s thousands of miles of highways, including State Department of Transportation and Thruway Authority employees, municipal highway workers, contractors, consultants and towing service employees.
