West of Syracuse University, the NYSW turns west to pass under I-81. At this point, the embankment gives way to an elevated highway carrying I-81 through downtown. The road separates the 15th Ward on its west side from Syracuse University and the area's hospitals on its east side; it also visually hangs over the predominantly residential 15th Ward. Farther north, the density of the commercial districts adjacent to the highway continue to increase as the road enters downtown Syracuse. For roughly a half-mile (0.8 km), I-81 heads east–west, running alongside I-690 and connecting to the highway by way of a series of closely spaced ramps. Like I-81, the incomplete interchange is entirely elevated, passing over parts of several downtown blocks. Past I-690, I-81 transitions from an elevated road to a sub-surface highway as it cuts across the north half of downtown and proceeds northwest past an old industrial area that was once Syracuse's Inner Harbor. The elevated portion in Syracuse is expected to reach the end of its useful life in 2017.