A pickup truck drives through a flooded section of Rondout Landing in Kingston, NY, on Wednesday afternoon, Jan. 10, 2024. (Dwayne Kroohs/Daily Freeman)
KINGSTON, NY — The city announced Thursday that Sen. Charles Schumer, D-New York, has secured $1.5 million in funding from the US Department of Transportation to fund the East Strand and North Street Roadway Elevation Project.
Mayor Steve Noble’s office said the project will raise the road on two portions of East Strand that experience frequent flooding ensuring that nearby residential neighborhoods don’t get cut off by flooding. The road will also be restriped and sidewalks will be elevated providing safety upgrades for pedestrians and cyclists, Noble’s office said.
“I want to thank Majority Leader Schumer for all he has done for Kingston, from helping to secure the $21.7 million RAISE grant last year, to delivering an additional $1.5 million to assist us in creating a vibrant and resilient waterfront,” Noble’s office said. “This area, which is prone to frequent flooding, is integral to connecting the downtown business district and beloved visitor sites – the Maritime Museum, the Trolley Museum, the Clearwater, and Hudson River Cruises – to the Kingston Greenline, the Empire State Trail, and the Sojourner Truth State Park. “This initiative will not only maintain access for residents of the Ponckhockie neighborhood, it will help spur long-lasting economic vitality in our historic Waterfront District.”
Noble’s Office said the project will also help protect the city’s Wastewater Treatment Plant on East Strand and integrate with the Hudson River Maritime Museum’s Rondout Riverport Phase 2 project.
The grant is on top of a $21.7 million federal Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity grant program the city received last year. Officials previously said that the RAISE funds will go towards the design and construction of walking and biking connections on trails and streets from neighborhoods to business districts, open space, and parks along the Rondout Creek and the Hudson River.
