27. The High Line in Manhattan

The High Line is an extraordinary piece of public park built on an historic freight rail line elevated above the streets on Manhattan’s West Side - see the map below ... the white line is the existing park and the green line is further park under construction ...

 

Image taken from the Highline website

 

The High Line railway was built in the 1930s, as part of a massive public-private infrastructure project called the West Side Improvement. It lifted freight traffic 30 feet in the air, removing dangerous trains from the streets of Manhattan's largest industrial district. No trains have run on the High Line since 1980, and in the late 1990's when the historic structure was under threat of demolition, Friends of the High Line, a community-based non-profit group, in partnership with the City of New York worked to preserve and maintain the structure as an elevated public park for the people of Manhattan. 

 



There are several entry points to the Park 30feet above the street ...

 

Work on transforming the disused railway line into a parkland began in 2006 and in 2009 the first section was opened - further sections were opened in 2009 and 2011 - and a new section is under construction and due to be opened to the public sometime in 2014.

 

 

The High Line Park is a beautiful piece of green urban designing and a peaceful escape from the bustling streets of Manhattan below - both for locals and tourists alike.