High Line-style park in Queens receives major state grant from Gov. Cuomo

A plan to build an above-ground park on a 3.5 mile stretch of abandoned rail line in Queens just received a big endorsement in the form of a $467,000 grant from Governor Andrew Cuomo, the Trust for Public Land announced today, according to DNAinfo.

The money is earmarked for a  feasibility study and analysis of what has been dubbed the QueensWay project, a controversial High Line-style park in Queens.

“Now other people recognized that potentially this could be a great project for Queens,” Andrea Crawford, a member of Friends of the QueensWay, said. “Now it has real teeth and we are really excited.”

The study is set to start in January or February and will take six to eight months to complete, according to Marc Matsil, the New York State director for the Trust for Public Land.

The plan has been somewhat controversial and has been opposed by those how believe that the rail line should be restored in order to improve access to public transportation in the area — a problem recently highlighted by Hurricane Sandy. [DNAinfo] —Christopher Cameron