New York City’s High Line Elevated Walking Trail is About to Grow Even Bigger

By Kaelie Piscitello

New York’s popular High Line is about to get even bigger!

Located on 10th Avenue, pedestrians can access the elevated public park and pathway by Manhattan West. A collaboration of Brookfield Properties Groups, Empire State Development, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and Friends of the High Line has taken on a $50 million project where they plan to add an extension to the High Line.

Soon, people will pass through the elevated bridge from Manhattan West to the Moynihan Train Hall. This addition to the High Line will provide people with more flexibility to move around the city and make their important meetings in a time-efficient manner.

History of the High Line and “Death Ave”

The High Line serves as an accessible route from Gansevoort Street to 34th Street on the West side of Manhattan today. However, it was not always so luxurious.

In the 1800s, train tracks stood where the High Line park does now, and freight trains transported food to lower Manhattan from them. People viewed the trains and their tracks as an excellent service until 1910 when the trains struck and killed 540 people by accident. As a result, 10th Avenue was dubbed “Death Ave.” As a result, the “West Side Cowboys” were created to prevent more train-related deaths. This group of men waved red flags, warned people about the oncoming trains, and saved lives.

What You Should Know About The Expansion

New York City created the High Line Moynihan Connector proposal in 2021. The people drafting the proposal wanted to develop an ADA-accessible, raised, and well-landscaped bridge accessible to the public.

James Corner Field Operations, a member of the High Line’s original design team, Skidmore, Owings, & Merrill have worked together over the past few years to construct the bridge’s new addition.

After completing the design, the team began building the High Line’s newest addition in 2022, and they expect to finish renovations by spring 2023.

During renovations, the team added a set of elevators to the raised bridge, making it a universal design because of the ADA-accessible features for pedestrians with disabilities and duality for those toting bikes or strollers.

The bridges are each 600 feet long and compare and contrast with the existing High Line structure. The newly landscaped Woodlands bridge addition will connect the existing High Line to the mid-block between 9th Avenue and 10th Avenue. It will stand parallel to 30th Street and connect to a timber bridge in Brookfield.

The team also hopes the expanded bridge will provide more space for public art installations around and on the High Line, such as the Statue of Liberty wearing revolving masks of cartoon characters. Though the piece is silly, it adds character to the High Line, and the team hopes to bring more unique perspectives like it to the space.

Things to do Near the High Line

Though experiencing the High Line is a treat, other attractions exist nearby that make it fade into the background. Many restaurants surround 10th Avenue, and people can choose their preferred foreign cuisine to sample in the area. Tia Pol offers Spanish food, while The Mermaid Inn serves seafood. An American restaurant, Empire Diner, also serves food in the area, and Calle Dao Chelsea offers Cuban Chinese fusion. 

In addition to the restaurants in the surrounding neighborhoods, the structure has a “High Line food program” with established quality meals at fair prices. The food program involves chain restaurants, such as Shake Shack, but it also features small businesses like Palenque and Malai, an eatery featuring South Asian cuisine.

Though a plethora of food surrounds the High Line, other options exist for entertainment besides stuffing oneself. For example, a four-star hotel, also dubbed “The High Line,” offers lodging for travelers near the High Line transportation option. Opportunities to look at art also surround the area, as many art galleries and museums exist nearby. The Paula Cooper Gallery displays “works by masters and young artists.” Meanwhile, the David Zwirner Modern Art Gallery features plenty of exciting pieces, making it worth a stop. 

High Line hours (they vary by season):

December 1 — March 31: 7 am to 8 pm

April 1 — November 30: 7 am to 10 pm

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