Some unused railroad tracks in Long Island City might soon be given new life, as the MTA begins to reach out to the community for ideas on how to put the space to use, according to published reports.
The transit agency is currently looking for local groups to aid in restoring two sections of the Long Island Rail Road totaling more than a mile, which haven’t been used since the 1990s, the New York Post reported.
The sections include parts of the old Montauk and Main Line tracks located by the intersection of Skillman and 49th avenues.
According to Curbed, the MTA has released a Request For Expressions of Interest (RFEI) for that section as a way to examine different options from businesses, nonprofits, community groups and individuals. Ideas can include, but are not limited to, public open space, urban farming, or museum or sculpture garden space.
The stretch used to connect the LIRR’s Lower Montauk Branch, running along Newtown Creek, to the Sunnyside and Arch Street Yards to the north, according to the RFEI.
For anyone looking to submit concept ideas, they must offer access points; plan to bring utilities such as electricity and water to the area; and plan for site maintenance, according to Curbed.
This isn’t the first time a High Line-style park has been proposed for Queens. Plans were announced last year for a 3.5-mile stretch – dubbed QueensWay – of recreational, walking and biking trails crossing through the neighborhoods of Rego Park, Forest Hills, Glendale, Richmond Hill, Woodhaven and Ozone Park.
