In the latest evolution of Midtown West and New York City’s High Line, the recently completed High Line-Moynihan Connector, designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and James Corner Field Operations, adds a new seamless link between a series of civic spaces ranging from Midtown West to the West Village.
Adding to the vibrant pedestrian atmosphere of the High Line, the Moynihan Connector project comprises two distinctive bridges running above Dyer Avenue and West 30th Street and providing a fully accessible urban journey from Moynihan Train Hall to the contemporary public spaces of Brookfield’s Manhattan West. “This is a project that ties neighborhoods and public spaces together. We’ve heard for years about how inhospitable these streets around the entrance to the Lincoln Tunnel felt for people in the community. Now, the Connector will give our neighbors a safe, green, and inspiring pathway between the High Line and Midtown,” said Alan van Capelle, Executive Director of Friends of the High Line.
The first bridge, the 260-foot-long Timber Bridge, is a glulam Warren truss made from sustainably sourced wood. Requiring minimal support via connection to the ground, the bridge offers a space protected from traffic emerging from the Lincoln Tunnel.
The 240-foot-long Woodland Bridge integrates the immersive landscape of the High Line with deep and continuous soil beds built into the structure. Supported by architecturally exposed weathered columns and angled bracket arms that vary with soil depths, these soil beds can support the large trees characteristic of the native Eastern Deciduous forest, provide a lush landscape for birds and native pollinators, and also provide shade and shield pedestrians from the traffic below.
In response to the site context, both bridges have a distinct architectural and structural expressions, including a warm material palette of weathered steel decking and bronze handrails. At the intersection of the two bridges is a special place of intersection, allowing visitors to pause as they shift direction from east-west to north-south while moving from one timber structure experience to another and along a sequential journey that offers an urban experience of drama, spectacle, and delight.
