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Parks Department and DOT to Improve Connecting Paths Between Central Queens Parks

Flushing Meadows Corona Park (NYC Parks, Daniel Avila)

Oct. 29, 2020 By Allie Griffin

The New York City Parks Department and the Department of Transportation (DOT) announced an initiative Thursday to study and create new connections to existing parks through bicycle and pedestrian corridors known as “greenways.”

The two agencies plan to improve existing greenways and create new ones to better establish a pedestrian and cyclist route from Flushing Meadows Corona Park through Kissena Park, Cunningham Park, Alley Pond Park and Joe Michaels Mile.

The departments will investigate gaps in existing greenway networks and collect feedback from residents and local stakeholders to determine their key needs. The feedback will inform their priorities for new park amenities along the route in a plan dubbed “Destination: Greenways!”.

The Brooklyn-Queens Greenway (NYC Parks Dept.)

“Now more than ever, access to quality open space is essential for all New Yorkers,” NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver said. “By creating a continuous path of scenic routes, this project will connect surrounding communities and enhance the pedestrian and cyclist experience in Brooklyn and Queens for years to come.”

To gather community feedback on the route, the Parks Department is hosting a virtual meeting for Queens residents on Monday. Nov. 16 at 6:30 p.m.

The meeting will introduce residents to the Destination: Greenways! project, identify desired amenities and programming preference and solicit feedback.

Those who wish to participate must register in advance here.

Local Council Member Peter Koo, Chair of the Committee on Parks and Recreation, applauded the greenways announcement and encouraged area residents to join the public meeting.

“One of my first priorities when I became Chair of the Committee on Parks and Recreation was to help establish a uniform greenway from Flushing Meadows Corona Park, through Flushing, and into eastern Queens,” Koo said.

“The Destination: Greenways! Plan is a great opportunity for our community to get involved at the early stages of planning so that we can begin to outline a master plan, and plot a course that will ensure any gaps in the existing greenway network are filled,” he added.

In addition to the Central Queens greenway study, the Parks Dept. and DOT will also study a greenway project along Brooklyn’s southwest shoreline.

Together, the projects will improve and connect approximately 20 miles of greenways that have been historically disjointed from each other.