What will replace the elevated portions of Interstate 81, which is nearing the end of its useful life? While transportation planners and engineers study the traffic, structural, and technical issues, the OCL study focused its attention on the social, cultural, and economic effects of possible alternatives. The study recommended that the reconfiguration of I-81 be considered as an opportunity to spur economic development, neighborhood and job growth, in the core of the region by rerouting through traffic and creating an attractive, pedestrian friendly urban boulevard to improve access to, and within, the city center.