NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday unveiled the official renderings for the “L”-shaped expansion of the High Line that will connect Manhattan’s elevated park to the Moynihan Train Hall.
The $50 million extension will bring two new, connecting “timber bridges” that link to the High Line’s 10th Avenue terminus to the midtown train hall. Renderings show wooden bridge arches and manicured, tree-lined paths.
One east-west bridge will extend the 1.45-mile High Line halfway over 30th Street — between 9th and 10th avenues — and another north-south bridge will connect the path across to 31st street.
Hochul in a statement said the project would improve pedestrian access between the rail hub and the park in a way that “improves quality of life, promotes economic growth, and helps secure a greener Empire State."
“Despite the challenges and difficulties presented by COVID-19, New York continues to get things done - building boldly and ambitiously to leave a lasting legacy for future New Yorkers," Governor Hochul said.
The initial plans for the project, first unveiled during disgraced former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s 2021 state of the state address, also included a second phase that would extend the High Line north, further up 12th Avenue, to connect to Pier 76. Hochul’s press release announcing the western connection doesn’t mention the second phase.
The extension will be funded through public and private money as part of a partnership between the state, Brookfield Properties Group and Friends of the High Line.
Critics of the High Line have claimed that it's mostly used by wealthier, whiter residents — but the park has remained a popular destination in the city, reportedly attracting an estimated 8 million people a year before the coronavirus pandemic.
