Opening the first section
On 8 June 2009, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and community representatives cut the ribbon at Gansevoort Street. The public entered the following day. This first section ran from Gansevoort Street to West 20th Street, about half a mile through the Meatpacking District and West Chelsea, roughly 30 feet above the street.
The elevated railway had carried freight, separating trains from street traffic and delivering goods directly into factories and warehouses. After trains stopped running in 1980, self-seeded plants gradually grew among the tracks. In 2009 the disused freight structure became a pedestrian public space.
From preservation campaign to park construction
Friends of the High Line, founded by Joshua David and Robert Hammond, began promoting preservation and reuse in 1999. In 2002 it joined the Design Trust for Public Space to produce Reclaiming the High Line. The study compared demolition, transport, commercial and public-space options, advocating primarily pedestrian use of the elevated structure with planting, art and limited commerce.
New York City supported conversion into a park in 2002. In November 2005, CSX Transportation donated the structure south of West 30th Street to the city, and park construction began in 2006. The community’s preservation campaign passed through planning, design and ownership transfer into construction.
Design, engineering and construction responsibilities
A 2004 competition selected the design team led by James Corner Field Operations with Diller Scofidio + Renfro; Piet Oudolf designed the planting. Specialist consultants covered structural engineering, lighting, irrigation, soils and public-space management. The 2010 project submission named KiSKA Construction as general contractor and LiRo/Daniel Frankfurt as resident engineer.
Design and construction included paving and planting, work on the old structure, access routes and equipment compliant with public-use requirements. The city’s 2011 release put design and construction expenditure for the first two sections at $153 million, including $66.8 million for the second section. Funding came from city, federal and state sources and private fundraising.
Rebuilding the surface for public use
The old structure was repaired and contaminants removed before it became an accessible park. The team restored steelwork and railings, removed lead-based coatings and other hazardous materials, and added stairs and elevators to the narrow elevated route. Wind reached both sides of the structure, space for roots was limited, and design had to address access and construction above private property.
Long concrete paving planks with open joints gradually transitioned into planted areas, with old rails incorporated into the landscape. A green-roof construction managed water retention, drainage and aeration. Plant selection accounted for wind, cold, shallow soil and seasonal change. Lighting below eye level illuminated the walking surface while preserving views of the surrounding neighbourhood.
Daily operations and improvements to facilities
After the first opening, work continued on entrances, accessibility and planting. When the second section opened in 2011, summer hours were announced as 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Elevators already served West 14th and West 16th Streets; another was added at West 30th Street, and the West 23rd Street elevator was scheduled to enter service at the end of June. Facility delivery and seasonal operating arrangements shaped visitors’ access.
Under a licensing agreement with the Department of Parks and Recreation, Friends of the High Line assumed routine maintenance, operating staff, public programmes and community engagement, raising private funds for these responsibilities. Donations contributed to construction and a fund supporting future maintenance. Ownership of the park and responsibility for its everyday upkeep rested with different bodies.
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The second section extends the walking route
On 7 June 2011, New York City held the opening ceremony for the second section, adding the elevated path from West 20th to West 30th Street. The continuous route reached about a mile, with entrances at West 23rd, 26th, 28th and 30th Streets. The city’s later completion report dated public opening to 8 June, placing the ceremony and public access on consecutive days.
The converted route lets visitors walk above neighbouring streets, pause among plants and observe the city. Old warehouses, housing and newer developments alternate along the path. Planting, seats, preserved rails and connections to different streets turned a closed freight structure into continuous public space.