Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn, and Friends of the High Line Co-Founders Joshua David and Robert Hammondhosted a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the start of construction on the third and final section of the High Line. Located between West 30th and West 34th Streets to the south and north, and 10th and 12th Avenues to the east and west, the final section of the elevated railway, called the High Line at the Rail Yards.
Construction on the estimated $90 million extension of the park will proceed in phases, and be financed by a combination of public and private funds. The first phase is projected to open in 2014, extending the High Line park to West 34th Street and connecting the Meatpacking District and West Chelsea with the future No. 7 subway station, the Javits Center, and the future Hudson Yards neighborhood.
The design of the High Line at the Rail Yards, allowing park visitors to experience the original landscape that inspired efforts to save the High Line from demolition and transform it into much-needed public open space on Manhattan’s West Side.
The High Line has had a profound impact on the way we look at public space. Since the first section opened, the park has come to mean many things to many people: a place for locals to spend time outdoors, a spot for coworkers to spend time together on a lunch break, a gathering space for families, an educational resource for schools, a place to see the city in a new way, and an important generator of economic activity for the entire city,” said U.S. Sen. Kristen Gillibrand.
“When planning for the High Line began, some thought a ‘park in the sky’ was ‘pie in the sky.’ But look at what we’ve achieved in three short years,” said Manhattan Borough President Scott M. Stringer. “The High Line has transformed a relic of our City’s industrial past into a shining example of our City’s sustainable and livable future.
The High Line at the Rail Yards is being designed by James Corner Field Operations, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, and Piet Oudolf – the same designers behind the first two sections of the High Line park – along with a team of structural engineers, lighting designers, electrical and mechanical experts, and others construction specialists.
Today, we stand at the third and last chapter of the High Line's trilogy. 23 feet in the air, the High Line provides one of the most exhilarating and uplifting experiences of the City, while being strongly grounded in its community,” said City Planning Commissioner Amanda M. Burden.
CREDITS.-
Main Architects.- Diller Scofidio + Renfro.
Project designers.- Matthew Johnson, Lisa Tziona Switkin, Nahyun Hwang.
Technical team.- Structure: Buro Happold. Historic Preservation: Robert Silman Associates. Lighting.- L´Observatoire International. Enviromental engineering: GRB Services. Civil & Traffic Engineering: Philip Habib & Associates. Soil Science: Pine & Swallow Associates. Public Space Management: ETM Associates. Water Feature Engineering: CMS Collavorative. Cost Estimating: VJ Associates. Site Surveyor: Control Point Associates. Signage: Pentagram Design.
Constuction team.- Liro/Daniel Frankfurt. Bovis Lend Lease. KiSKA Construction.
Planting designer.- Piet Oudolf.
