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Best Landscape/Urban Development: Third Phase of High Line Complete

The High Line is an elevated park on the west side of Manhattan. Section 3 of the park, known as the Rail Yards, spans from West 30th to West 35th streets and from 10th to 12th avenues and includes benches, gardens and a walking path that now extends 1.45 miles over the entire length of the High Line.
The construction team spent six months in a preconstruction phase in order to ensure that the design was achievable within the budget allotted to the project.
Experts in several trades, such as masons, ironworkers, electricians and landscapers, were utilized in the execution of this project. One particularly unique feature is the Beam Exploration Area: this section was created by demolishing half of the High Line’s structural slab and installing a new deck at a lower elevation in order to expose the old structural beams.

The beams were coated in a silicone safety surface, making the area safe for children to play. The area includes glass railings, protective safety coatings, rubber flooring and a movable play element.

Another notable aspect of the project is the Western Rail Yards, where an old freight train has been preserved to give High Line visitors a chance to see how the old train line looked.

Construction of Section 3 took place at the same time as several other nearby construction projects in New York, such as the first two towers of Hudson Yards, NYC DEP Water Main upgrade, DDC Water Sewer upgrade, Amtrak/LIRR tunnel construction and the platform for the new Hudson Yards. This required a large amount of coordination between construction teams in order to ensure each project went smoothly.

The Section 3 construction team stuck to a very strict construction schedule, and the park opened on Sept. 20, 2014, with a public ceremony.