High Line Moynihan Connector | SOM - Skidmore Owings & Merrill

The High Line Moynihan Connector is the latest chapter in the decade-long evolution of Midtown West in New York City. Between the redevelopment of Penn Station, the adaptive reuse of Farley Building into Moynihan Train Hall with offices above, and the creation of Manhattan West and Hudson Yards, the neighborhood has emerged as a new mixed-use destination knit together by a series of civic spaces that will now be connected to the High Line—one of the most important public spaces and pedestrian paths in New York City.

The High Line Moynihan Connector forms the final link in a chain of pathways running west from Penn Station to Hudson Yards and south along the 1.45-mile High Line to the West Village. The seamless, fully accessible Connector takes the form of an elevated, 600-foot linear park that creates an episodic urban journey from the contemporary spaces of Midtown West to the verdant landscaping and historic structure of the High Line.

Designed and engineered by SOM, in collaboration with landscape architect James Corner Field Operations, and led by the Friends of the High Line, Empire State Development and Brookfield Properties, the Connector is composed of two bridges running above Dyer Avenue and West 30th Street. Upon exiting Moynihan Train Hall, visitors and commuters cross Ninth Avenue and enter Manhattan West’s 2.6-acre public plaza. On the south side of Manhattan West at West 31st Street, where the public space rises a full floor above the street and culminates at Magnolia Court, pedestrians enter the Timber Bridge, which will run the length of Dyer Avenue. They then turn 90 degrees to enter the tree-lined Woodland Bridge along 30th Street, which leads directly to the Spur of the High Line.

The 260-foot-long Timber Bridge, a glulam Warren truss made from sustainably sourced wood, will offer an inviting space protected from the traffic emerging from the Lincoln Tunnel. This structural solution requires minimal connections to the ground, allowing the existing roads to remain undisturbed and maximizing the use of renewable materials. The Woodland Bridge, a 340-foot-long diagonal path lined with trees, introduces the immersive landscaping of the High Line. Its extensive plantings are enabled by a 5-foot-deep pre-cast concrete container filled with soil. These containers, or planters, are supported on architecturally exposed weathered columns and angled bracket arms that vary dynamically to reflect the different soil depths along the diagonal pathway.

The two bridges are aesthetically united by Corten steel decking and bronze handrails, which guide pedestrians between the structures. The design of the bridges provides direct connectivity between Magnolia Court and the Spur. The landscaping on the Woodland Bridge is arranged by the shortest to tallest trees from east to west and in a reverse direction on the north and south side of the path. The dynamic visual landscape allows pedestrians to see the timber structure rise over the diagonal pathway and creates a visual link to the trees from Magnolia Court. This solution establishes a sense of place and guides pedestrians to their destinations on both sides of the Connector.

The Connector is the fourth major SOM project in the neighborhood’s evolution. Between the design of Moynihan Train Hall, the restoration of Farley building, its transformation to tech office space and the 1000 tall’ mixed-use 35 Hudson Yards, and both the design and master plan for the 7-million-square-foot, mixed-use Manhattan West, SOM has played an essential role in reimagining a former industrial area into a vibrant destination.