QueensWay Metropolitan Hub

The QueensWay Metropolitan Hub in Forest Hills, Queens, will transform a vacant, City-owned corridor into a five-acre linear park.

Fulfilling a Community Vision

The project will convert a portion of the former LIRR Rockaway Beach Branch (RBB), abandoned since 1962, into a new public park. In 2011, a group of residents living along the former RBB organized to advocate for the conversion of the abandoned RBB into a new park. The Friends of the QueensWay (FQW) consists of thousands of individuals and numerous organizations, all of whom have the goal of converting the long­ abandoned property into a public park that can be enjoyed by bikers, walkers, joggers, visitors, tourists, workers, and residents. The vision for QueensWay grew out of a series of public meetings, community group workshops, and stakeholder discussions led by the Friends of the QueensWay and the Trust for Public Land (TPL).

An initial concept design for the first half-mile section, called the Metropolitan Hub (Met Hub), was developed by the TPL and FQW between 2016 to 2018. In fall 2022, the City announced $35M in funding to complete the design and construction of the Metropolitan Hub segment.

The intent of the Metropolitan Hub section of the QueensWay, which stretches from Metropolitan Avenue to Union Turnpike, is to build a new linear park adjacent to the Metropolitan Expeditionary Learning School (MELS) that includes:

• Active and passive recreation
• Greenway/bikeway connections
• Pedestrian pathways
• Restoration and enhancement of natural areas
• ADA accessibility