City says Queens Waterfront Greenway won’t be mapped out until 2026
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The city’s Department of Transportation began to outline their plans for the Queens Waterfront Greenway in Astoria on Tuesday, and locals got to weigh in. Eagle photo by Ryan Schwach
By Ryan Schwach
It will be some time before locals can bike and walk the planned Queens Waterfront Greenway, but the city started the development process with a public workshop on Tuesday.
At the workshop in Astoria, the Department of Transportation said that it would be another two years until they had a fully mapped out plan to implement the 16-mile greenway.
The greenway is planned to stretch from Gantry Plaza State Park in Long Island City to Fort Totten in Whitestone. The DOT has split the project into three sections and will be soliciting feedback from residents of each section over the next several years.
That process began with Tuesday’s workshop, which was held at the historic Bohemian Beer Garden in Astoria and focused on the section of the greenway that will extend from Gantry to Bowery Bay.
The first workshop may end up being the least contentious – DOT may have more difficulty pitching the idea to the communities further east, where local officials have already stated opposition to the greenway.
However, whether residents oppose or support the project, it will be some time before it’s actually built.
According to DOT, a plan for the greenway isn't expected to be concluded until mid-2026, with several rounds of workshops between now and then.
In Astoria and Long Island City, locals are generally excited about the project’s possibilities.
“It was really inspiring to see community members come together on a shared vision,” said Transportation Alternatives organizer Laura Shepard, who said she is thrilled about the project.
“There’s unanimous consensus that we can’t have gaps in the route, that it needs to be safe and seamless for the whole distance,” she said.
DOT’s second workshop will focus on the route from Bowery Bay to Willets Point, and will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 16, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Glow Cultural Center in Flushing.
The third workshop will be held at Alley Pond Park and Environmental Center in Douglaston on Thursday, Oct. 24, from 6 to 8 p.m. Those in attendance will discuss the route from Willets Point to the greenway’s end at Fort Totten.
On Oct. 29, there will be a virtual hearing on Zoom for the entirety of the greenway.
