New money is coming to plan out the future of Interstate 81 in Syracuse.

New York's U.S. Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer announced Monday that Syracuse is one of the first recipients of funding from the Reconnecting Communities Program, part of the bipartisan Infrastructure and Jobs Law.

The lawmakers said $500,000 is coming through a grant meant to plan out how to best connect the neighborhoods that have been most affected by the highway over the years.

The focus of this study will be on the 15th Ward, Syracuse's south side and revitalizing the area as a whole.

The I-81 project is still in legal limbo as the judge proceeding over the lawsuit that halted demolition has asked for a new environmental study before construction work can begin. State Supreme Court Justice Gerard Neri ruled the state Department of Transportation must now account for potential regional traffic and population changes that the $100 billion Micron project will make in the coming years.