The High Line has been such a staggering success, it has created impersonators across the country and the world. And who can blame them, when the project has generated an estimated $2 billion in economic activity on a public investment of only $150 million.
But what if instead of building a park, a subway or light rail line ran along the Far West Side?
It is not a ludicrous idea. Light rail has proven a boon in downtown Portland and elsewhere, and with the extension of the 7 train to Hudson Yards, the line could well have hooked up with the High Line and made a whole swath of under-developed Manhattan real estate more accessible.
A glittery park has achieved just as much, but this exact same debate is taking place in Queens, according to the Daily News. An old LIRR trestle that closed in the 1960s has been dubbed QueensWay by a group of park advocates hoping to turn the 3.5-mile stretch (three-times as long as the High Line) into a park.
The line stretches from Rego Park to the Rockaways, and it turns out those two communities are now at odds as those further from the city center lobby for the tracks reactivation instead of a park.
“Certainly a quick trip to JFK Airport from the core of the city is something people have talked about from Year One,” said George Haikalis, a civil engineer who heads the Institute for Rational Mobility, a nonprofit umbrella group for transit advocates. “Nobody in the rest of the world would be so dumb as to let a valuable asset like that sit there.”
[snip]
Assemblyman Philip Goldfeder, who represents the Rockaways, jumped into the fray on Tuesday saying he opposed the creation of a park. “I believe southern Queens and Rockaway would be better served if this forgotten track once again fulfilled its original purpose as a railroad,” Goldfeder wrote in an open letter. “Those same communities that are pushing this proposal are privileged with commutes of 30 minutes or less to midtown Manhattan.”
Given the success of the High Line and the current challenges to funding mass transit, it will be interesting to see what ultimately gets built here. Indeed, Friends of QueensWay have already come up with a number of designs for the new park.
Still, a story aired yesterday on WNYC about lost subway lines, including a number in outer Queens and Brooklyn, remind us how big an impact mass transit can have on urban development.
Dear Matt,Thank you for covering the current debate on The QueensWay!Here’s an update to some of the notes on your slide show for future reference:Slide 1 is in Ozone Park, taken close to the Rockaway Blvd Station of the A, which marks the tail end of the 3.5 mile stretch that we can utilize.Slide 2 shows the connection from Rego Park to Ozone Park, not the Rockaways. The A line is currently using the tracks for Howard Beach and Far Rockaway service.Slides 3-8 depict Jennifer Cromie’s design proposal submitted to The Institute of Urban Design’s By the City/For the City call for ideas. There are others which have yet to released to the public.Slide 10: It’s not just overgrowth that makes it a challenge, but the mass erosion of the packed dirt under the tracks at the north and mid-sections, where only single tracks currently exist. Slide 13: That trestle is located in Rego Park, not the Rockaways.Friends of the QueensWay would be happy to speak with you regarding updates on this exciting opportunity for a much-needed community space with safer bike paths and walking trails connecting Central and South Queens, as well as the economic opportunities it would bring to the under-served regions of Queens.Warmest regards,Anandi PS. Did you know that your twitter account doesn’t link properly to the article? It’s missing the N, however I was able to find and RT your post