Park update for May 18: The Spur and Coach Passage at 30th Street and 10th Avenue are currently closed.
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High Line Connections
A successful 21st century city includes accessible, open, public spaces that help improve walkability, safety, and physical and mental health. The High Line Connections project is a realization of a long-standing vision to connect the High Line to other key locations in New York City.
A successful 21st century city includes accessible, open, public spaces that help improve walkability, safety, and physical and mental health. The High Line Connections project is a realization of a long-standing vision to connect the High Line to other key locations in New York City.
Creating new High Line connections
For years the High Line championed the idea of new pathways to Hudson River Park and to nearby transportation at Penn Station. In January of 2021, a proposal to construct two new elevated pathways connecting the High Line Spur to Moynihan Train Hall and the Western Rail Yards to Hudson River Park, was officially announced by Empire State Development (ESD), a New York State agency.
In September of 2021, Governor Kathy Hochul unveiled the designs for the first project, the High Line – Moynihan Connector. “The High Line’s connection to Moynihan Train Hall and other nearby attractions complements our investments in Midtown West, encourages better pedestrian access and provides New Yorkers with a truly one-of-a-kind experience,” said Governor Hochul.
The Connections project represents a shared vision to expand the ways we connect the neighborhoods, institutions, businesses, parks, and transportation hubs that define Manhattan’s West Side. Ever since the High Line’s inception, we’ve studied challenges to pedestrian mobility in this neighborhood and assessed opportunities for improvement. We’re excited by this plan’s potential to create safer, more enjoyable ways to move through the city.
Creating new High Line connections
For years the High Line championed the idea of new pathways to Hudson River Park and to nearby transportation at Penn Station. In January of 2021, a proposal to construct two new elevated pathways connecting the High Line Spur to Moynihan Train Hall and the Western Rail Yards to Hudson River Park, was officially announced by Empire State Development (ESD), a New York State agency.
In September of 2021, Governor Kathy Hochul unveiled the designs for the first project, the High Line – Moynihan Connector. “The High Line’s connection to Moynihan Train Hall and other nearby attractions complements our investments in Midtown West, encourages better pedestrian access and provides New Yorkers with a truly one-of-a-kind experience,” said Governor Hochul.
The Connections project represents a shared vision to expand the ways we connect the neighborhoods, institutions, businesses, parks, and transportation hubs that define Manhattan’s West Side. Ever since the High Line’s inception, we’ve studied challenges to pedestrian mobility in this neighborhood and assessed opportunities for improvement. We’re excited by this plan’s potential to create safer, more enjoyable ways to move through the city.
30th St. & Dyer Ave. – June 2021 (left); 30th St. & Dyer Ave. – Proposed Connector (right)
Moynihan Connection
Expected to be completed by the spring of 2023, the High Line – Moynihan Train Hall Connector will move east along 30th Street and turn 90 degrees north along Dyer Avenue into the public space at Manhattan West, Brookfield Properties’ mixed-use development. Pedestrians will be able to move through Manhattan West to 9th Avenue and into Moynihan Train Hall which is directly across the street.
The design is a collaboration between James Corner Field Operations, who was a part of the High Line’s original design team, and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. It consists of a pair of 600-foot-long bridges that both complement and contrast with the existing High Line structure. The Woodland Bridge, running along 30th Street, features deep soil beds allowing for a lush green ribbon of trees that will encapsulate the visitor from the urban streetscape below. The Timber Bridge is a Warren truss made of sustainably sourced wood that will run above Dyer Avenue into Magnolia Court, the public plaza at Manhattan West. Steel decking and bronze handrails will link the design of both bridges.
Beginning at the Spur, the Woodland Bridge is composed of precast concrete panels supported by a weathering steel structure that create an approximately 370-foot-long planter. With deeper planting beds than anywhere on the High Line, this section will allow for larger trees that will grow into a lush green landscape for birds and native pollinators and shield you from the traffic below. Suspended above the planters, the bridge walkway itself will be perforated with open joints, allowing rainwater to drip down to nourish the plantings, and creating a pedestrian-safe, lush corridor to the train hall.
In May 2023, the Timber Bridge was craned into place on Dyer Avenue, marking a major milestone in the construction of the High Line – Moynihan Connector—and a huge step toward creating a better, safer, and more enjoyable pedestrian experience in the neighborhoods we connect. The Timber Bridge is made up of 163 Alaskan yellow cedar, glue laminated wood beams that made the journey from British Columbia to Manhattan, where they were painstakingly fastened together at street level in April. The finished sections—a whopping 256,704 lbs of material—were craned into place to form the full bridge, completing a continuous path from the High Line’s Spur to Magnolia Court at Manhattan West.
Watch the dramatic timelapse of this awe-inspiring installation:
A public-private partnership
The Moynihan Connector is a public-private partnership between Empire State Development, Brookfield Properties, and the High Line. Numerous community and elected officials, neighborhood organizations, and community boards have been consulted in the planning and concept process for the Connector.
Rendering courtesy Diller Scofidio + Renfro/ Empire State Development
Hudson River Park Connector
The second piece of High Line Connections would extend from the High Line westward to Hudson River Park. This would start at the northwestern end of the High Line, which currently terminates at 34th Street and 12th Avenue, moving northward, past the Javits Center, before turning west to cross the West Side Highway and end at Pier 76 at Hudson River Park.
Realizing a vision
The Hudson River Park Connector is still a concept, and requires research, design and planning before a budget and timeline can be determined. 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.
We are excited to see the High Line connect the West Side, creating safer and more enjoyable pedestrian movement in high-traffic areas throughout our neighboring communities.
Get the latest updates
We’ll share more about this work as we dig in.