For nearly six decades, the old Rockaway Beach Branch of the Long Island Rail Road sat abandoned and fell into disrepair along a 3.5-mile stretch of central and southern Queens. On Friday afternoon, Sept. 16, Mayor Eric Adams came to Forest Hills to announce a $35 million investment for the design and construction of the Metropolitan Hub, phase one of a new multiphase greenway and park called QueensWay that will transform the city-owned corridor in Forest Hills into a five-acre park.
Once completed, QueensWay will include a 47-acre park and seven miles of greenway that will connect the neighborhoods of Rego Park, Forest Hills, Glendale, Woodhaven and Ozone Park.
“New York is a five-borough city, and every borough deserves high-quality park space. That’s exactly what we are delivering with this $35 million investment in one of our vital neighborhoods in Queens,” Adams said. “QueensWay phase one will convert abandoned railroad tracks that have been used as a dumping ground into a linear park that will make this community safer, healthier, greener and more prosperous.”
