10. The Queensway

The Queensway is a plan for an elevated linear park along the abandoned Rockaway Beach Branch line of the Long Island Railroad in Queens. The current conditions along the future Queensway vary dramatically, from an earthen embankment to dilapidated overpass bridges to a near-abandoned parking lot. But taken together, a conversion of the rail line into a park could add much needed improved pedestrian connections, recreational space, and accessible green space. The current plan for the first half mile stretch near Forest Park aims to add outdoor nature classrooms, educational plantings, farmers market, and recreational space.

The project faces certain political challenges – Mayor Bill De Blasio and the City of New York have not backed the project yet, and local residents are divided. Some residents prefer a reactivation of the rail line for mass transit, but as Andy Stone, former director of the New York City program of the Trust for Public Land tells us, there have been several initiatives to study reactivation of the Rockaway Beach Branch by the MTA and the Port Authority, but none so far have come to fruition. The latest study is underway, while the first design of the Queensway was completed with over $1 million in public and private sources including a $444,000 grant from the State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and Governor Cuomo’s Regional Economic Development Council, $250,000 from New York State Assembly Member Andrew Hevesi, $250,000 from Queens Council Member Karen Koslowitz, as well as other private donations.

Next, check out the Top 10 Secrets of the High Line. This article was co-written by Michelle Young, Gabrielle Showalter, Natasha Lane, and other Untapped Cities staff.