You think? I meant to illustrate that it wouldn't be so bad. Though maybe it'll slow you down coming in from the north (no more quick back access from Almond under the viaduct)? Access aside, I think overall atmosphere will improve, since 55-mph freeway traffic noise will be reduced.
It's probably all moot if SU can't reconcile game parking demand at a reasonable price with all their other competing concerns (construction staging, cheapo parking for grad students and residents, etc.).
I don't want to speak for anyone but myself.
For me, I have never noticed the noise of the highway when I am at the Fine Lot. Sirens from firetrucks and ambulances maybe.
As you know, I come from the north to games. I take I-81. If there is little traffic at the Harrison exit, I will take it and go the Fine Lot from Almond, under I-81. If it is backed up there, I continue on I-81, get off on Brighton, and take State to Castle/MLK and then Fineview. This is how I go most of the time. Going this way, I have never been backed up into traffic and it consistently provides smooth, easy access to the Fine or Standart Lots (I park at Standart for basketball).
When I leave after games, I almost always retrace my steps down Fineview, down Castle/MLK to State, then get off on Colvin and get on I-81N there. The traffic getting on I-81N from the nightmare bottleneck from the West lots is typically only starting to emerge on to the highway, and I find I can even merge onto I-690E if I need to without much problem.
If I go from Fine or Standart through the bottleneck directly north, and try to drive under I-81N on Almond and get on I-81N near Harrison, I find I get delayed an extra 10-20 minutes; more for big games or games I stayed to the very end for. This isn't a huge deal for football games during the day or even weekend night football games. It is irritating and I acknowledge I am spoiled living in CNY where we typically don't have to deal with traffic much but if I can avoid getting stuck in traffic for 20 minutes, I will do it every time.
This is a huge issue for weekday night basketball games. I can't be getting home from those games at 10:00, 10:30 or later.
I am sure the community grid will do some good things for the area but implementing it takes away a really good option for getting to and getting from games from the north.
Couple that with the change we are talking about here and the bottleneck heading north from the West lots that has been problem becomes an enormous problem. At least for me. If I want to get home at a reasonable time from a 7 pm basketball game, I think my only shot will be to park at Manley or Skytop, take I-481 all the way around the eastern part of the county and backtrack to Liverpool from Bear.
On the map you posted, it looks like Fineview will survive and allow people to drive south, past Standart. If one could drive down to say the Oakwood cemetery main entrance, and then ride a bridge over the railroad tracks and the highway formerly known as I-81 to get on Oakwood east of there, there would be a reasonable way to access the West lots from the south.
They need to provide that. It would make a huge difference to have another means of ingress/egress there. Just my opinion.
