Supporting The QueensWay
When the remaining 3.5 mile span of the Rockaway Beach Branch of the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) was shut down some 60 years ago an unrealized potential was begun.
Queens has a paucity of public green space. There is Flushing Meadows which is not easily accessible to most of the borough. There is also the beauty of the natural landscape found in Forest Park, which again is accessible to only a limited amount of residents.
What the QueensWay will offer is a safe, secure and diverse 3.5 mile linear park that connects the north and south to Forest Park. Additionally it will bring hikers and bicyclists only a few blocks from Gateway National Park at Jamaica Bay.
There will also be innumerable opportunities for clean and neighborhood friendly economic development in terms of local restaurants and retail opportunities.
Throughout the country, so called “rail to trail” projects have been developed such as the Bloomingdale Trail in Chicago. These projects bring the ability to take abandoned derelict land and clean it, secure it and develop it into a vibrant community asset.
The QueensWay winds its way through many different landscapes including residential and commercial properties. A top priority for the envisioning of the Queensway will revolve around the security and privacy of the residents living near or adjacent to the Queensway.
At the present time, much of the property is garbage strewn, unsafe and easily accessible. The earthen embankments have eroded exacerbating already complicated drainage issues in central Queens. With the award of the state grant all of these issues will be addressed. The development of the Queensway will truly be a collaborative effort.
As part of this study there will be numerous opportunities for the adjoining communities to be involved. Each community has unique con- cerns whether it be security and privacy, trees, accessibility and traffic control to name a few. With the expertise of the Trust for Public Land and community input these concerns will be addressed and incorporated into its design.
We at Friends of the QueensWay are excited by the limitless possibilities and opportunities that this project will bring to Queens. We are all Queens residents and we believe that Queens deserves this unique Park and all of the opportunities that flow from it.
Visit us at TheQueensWay.org for more information.
Editor’s note: Crawford is a member of Friends of the QueensWay.
