A $1.5 million grant secured by U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer will help pay for elevating roadways in flood-prone sections of the city’s Rondout neighborhood.

The funding included in Congress’ latest budget bill will supplement a $21.7 million grant for the city’s “Weaving the Waterfront” project, which aims to create or improve pathways through the Rondout neighborhood and enhance access to the Hudson River and Rondout Creek waterfronts.

The money secured by Schumer will go towards one piece of the waterfront plan, the elevation of two stretches of East Strand that experience frequent tidal flooding. In addition to raising the roadway, the project will include restriping and safety upgrades for cyclists and pedestrians.

In a statement, Mayor Steve Noble said the project would serve to better maintain the connection between waterfront attractions like the Hudson River Maritime Museum and the Greenline, the Empire State Trail and Sojourner Truth State Park.

“This initiative will not only maintain access for residents of the Ponckhockie neighborhood, it will also help spur long-lasting economic vitality in our historic Waterfront District,” said Noble. “I thank Sen. Schumer for his ongoing commitment to Kingston, and for working with us to continue making improvements to the waterfront.”

Noble spent his first two terms in office focusing on Midtown Kingston and has said that he anticipates much of the revitalization effort to shift towards the waterfront in his third term. The $21.7 million RAISE grant awarded last year was the largest in Kingston’s history. It will fund five Weaving the Waterfront projects, including extending the Kingston Point Rail Trail and rebuilding Downtown streets to be more bike- and pedestrian-friendly.