The High Line Connects to Moynihan Train Hall Ahead of Hell’s Kitchen Expansion

Look up! The High Line has now appeared on Dyer Avenue — with plans to continue the above-ground park’s reach all the way to Pier 76 on the Hudson River. The construction is the first phase of a $60m plan originally put forward by Governor Andrew Cuomo in January 2021 and described by him as “the most ambitious redevelopment that New York City has seen in decades.”

The High Line’s newest leg, the Moynihan Train Hall Connector — running between the Penn Station terminal and across W30th Street to the Manhattan West space — will soon include a north-facing Dyer Avenue entrance known as the Timber Bridge. The structure, which connects Magnolia Court at Manhattan West to the pedestrian pathway at W31st Street was craned into place this weekend and comprises 163 beams of Alaskan yellow cedar from British Columbia. The 256,704 pounds of material were assembled at the street level in April and craned into place to form the full bridge, expected to be completed later this spring. 

Designed by landscape architects James Field Corner Operations and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the 600-foot Timber Bridge is paired with the W30th Street Woodland Bridge, which features enough soil beds for a full block of “street trees.”

The High Line is a green sanctuary reimagined from the ruins of the city’s once-abandoned West Side Line elevated train tracks, which were shut down in 1980 as construction for the Javits Center broke ground. In 1999, a group of local advocates known as Friends of the High Line was formed to raise funds toward the creation of a new public space on the tracks, and after years of construction, the High Line officially opened its first section in 2009. The park currently runs between Gansevoort Street and the W34th Street Western Rail Yard and the Javits Center.

The next phase of the High Line extension will expand the pathway into Hell’s Kitchen from W34th Street and the Western Rail Yard, up 12th Avenue past the Javits Center, before crossing over the West Side Highway at W36th Street to end at the newly incorporated public recreational space at Pier 76.

The timeline for the final High Line extension, known as the Hudson River Connector, is not yet finalized. “The Hudson River Park Connector is still a concept, and requires research, design and planning before a budget and timeline can be determined,” said an update on the project’s website. “Most importantly, we will continue to engage with community members and local elected officials to ensure that the plan is informed by the needs and priorities of those who call this neighborhood home. The Port Authority and Empire State Development will work together to study engineering requirements and costs.”

For now, West Siders can look forward to a new, elevated and significantly greener walking pathway to Penn!