The Eastern Queens Greenway plan is a step closer to fruition after Council Member Sandra Ung joined Speaker Adrienne Adams in Kissena Park on Oct. 2, where they announced $6 million in funding to complete two sections of the greenway that will create a seamless connection between Flushing Meadows Corona Park and Alley Pond Park.
Council Member Sandra Ung said that open spaces are integral to mental and physical well-being and they need to be more accessible to all New Yorkers. Photo by John McCarten/NYC Council
“We are fortunate in Eastern Queens to have a number of amazing parks, but in many places they are physically close but disconnected from one another,” Ung said. “This funding will create new connections and improve existing ones to create a continuous and safe path from Flushing Meadows to Alley Pond and beyond. These projects will increase access points to our open spaces, which in turn will make them safer for seniors, families, and those with mobility impairments.”
Of the $6 million in City Council funding, $2.1 million will fund ecological improvements to a path that runs along the wetlands in Kissena Park. The project will include a restoration of the natural area and new trees and plantings and it will complement another project already underway to construct a new greenway path improving the connection between the west and east sides of the park.
Kissena Park. Photo by John McCarten/NYC Council
The additional $3.9 million in funding will create a new connection between 164th Street and 170th Street that will link to an existing portion of the greenway between 170th Street and Fresh Meadow Lane that will be reconstructed.
“Flushing Meadows Corona Park and Alley Pond Park are two pillars of our Queens communities that deserve investments and stronger connections,” Adams said. “With the Council’s $6 million allocation in the city budget, we have the opportunity to make smart improvements to the Eastern Queens Greenway to connect and expand access to our public parks. New Yorkers deserve neighborhood parks and open spaces that are safe and well-maintained, and that’s why the Council will continue to invest in them so they can be preserved for generations to come. I thank Council Member Ung, the Parks Department, and all stakeholders who helped advance this important project. ”
Speaker Adrienne Adams said New Yorkers deserve parks that are safe and well-maintained. Photo by John McCarten/NYC Council
Ung and Adams presented a check for the $6 million to NYC Parks Queens Borough Commissioner Jackie Langsam, who spoke of her agency’s Destination: Greenways Plan which will eventually connect the completed Eastern Queens Greenway to the Joe Michaels Mile, which runs along Little Neck Bay to Fort Totten and Little Bay Park.
“Through Destination: Greenways, NYC Parks is working to build Greenways that provide not only new transportation connections, but also access to scenic natural areas, while promoting physical activity for all New Yorkers,” Langsam said. “I want to express my heartfelt thanks to Speaker Adrienne Adams and Council Member Sandra Ung for their support and dedication to this project and for helping improve Queens green spaces. We are excited to celebrate this exciting funding allocation which will help continue the Destination: Greenways project through Kissena Park, 164th Street, and Fresh Meadows Lane.”