Group seeks feasibility study for Queens Highline

Abandoned Tracks in Queens
Abandoned tracks in Queens

The Trust of Public Land has issued requests for proposals to conduct a feasibility study on a 3.5-mile stretch of abandoned rail line in Queens that many people want to turn into the borough’s version of the High Line, DNAinfo reported.

Marc Matsil, New York State director for the Trust for Public Land, which is championing the project, told DNAinfo the winner will be picked in the next couple of months. One of the goals, he said, will be to generate support for the project among elected officials and the Queens community.

“We want to have a firm that has experience with community processes,” he told DNAinfo.

Once a company is chosen, a feasibility study will be completed to analyze the engineering and environmental components of the land, examine the structural integrity of the tracks, test the soil and estimate the cost of construction.

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Fundraising for the project has already raised about $1 million, including a $467,000 grant from the state.

The rail was once part of the Rockaway Line, which closed in 1962 and has since been covered with empty bottles and graffiti. The line connects Forest Hills and Rego Park with Richmond Hill and Ozone Park.

Meanwhile, the Highline in Manhattan is beginning the third phase of its development. [DNAinfo] –Hayley Kaplan