Nearly a third of the High Line lies north of the stretch of rail trestle now slated for a park – and its future remains uncertain as the MTA reviews proposals to develop its West Side rail yards for housing, office towers and parks.
Advocates for the High Line’s preservation are now pushing to save what would be a third section of the park – a section of train track that wraps around the rail yards, beginning at 30th Street and 10th Avenue and ending near the Javits Center.
In its request for proposals to develop the 26 acres of rail yards, the MTA has asked for alternatives that include the High Line and that don’t. The agency wants to see whether preserving the track will seriously impact its potential earnings from the site.
Robert Hammond of Friends of the High Line insists that keeping the distinctive steel structure will only boost the earning power of any new development there.
“It doesn’t make economic sense to tear it down,” he insists.