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QueensWay Preliminary Designs Up for Review at Upcoming Workshops

By Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska | March 7, 2014 11:56am
 Residents discussed ideas for the proposed QueensWay during workshops held in November, 2013.
Residents discussed ideas for the proposed QueensWay during workshops held in November, 2013.
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DNAinfo/Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska

QUEENS — Preliminary designs to turn an abandoned Queens rail line into a High Line-style public park will go on display to the public during a series of discussions this month, officials said.

During two upcoming workshops — scheduled for March 24 in Forest Hills and March 26 in Richmond Hill — participants will have the opportunity to see and discuss the first sketches on the QueensWay, which were created based on ideas collected from residents during a series of previous workshops held in November last year in Woodhaven, Forest Hills and Ozone Park.

Organizers said that they will present a number of designs envisioning various portions of the proposed QueensWay, a 3.5 mile stretch of abandoned railroad tracks connecting Rego Park and Ozone Park.

Participants will now have another chance to offer their input and modify the designs.

They will also discuss ways to address safety and privacy issues related to the proposed park, which were one of the main concerns raised during previous workshops.

“As we embark on this next round of community meetings, we look forward to compiling additional input that will help bring us to the next phase of the project, and that much closer to developing a one-of-a-kind cultural greenway for the Queens community,” said Travis Terry of the Friends of the QueensWay, an advocacy group supporting the project.

The two workshops hosted by the Friends of the QueensWay and The Trust for Public Land, are part of a feasibility study which will also check the structural integrity of the tracks, examine the level of erosion, test soil and estimate the cost of construction.

In 2012, the state allocated $467,000 for the study.

The workshops will be held on Monday, March 24, 7-9 p.m. at the Metropolitan Expeditionary Learning School, at 91-30 Metropolitan Ave., and on Wednesday, March 26, 7-9 p.m. at the High School for Construction Trades, Architecture and Engineering, at 94-06 104th St. The workshops are free and open to the public.