New York City may be known for its busy corners and massive amount of foot traffic, but local architect firm DXA Studio is trying to change that in one particularly overloaded section of the city.
Excitement has been bubbling around the city’s new Hudson Yards development and DXA Studio has added its own voice into the plans with a pedestrian bridge connecting the new expansion with Penn Station. They’re calling it the Midtown Viaduct and it would expand off of the northernmost point of High Line park, running across 9th and 10th Avenues and around to feed into the Moynihan Train hall on 31st Street. Speaking of the train hall, construction is currently underway to transform the hub into an updated travel center.
Think of the new bridge plans as similar to the Oculus transportation hub in downtown Manhattan. While it acts as one main connection between Fulton Center and neighboring buildings, there are offshoots that send people to various trains, businesses, and the PATH located inside the Oculus, as well. The idea is the same for this outdoor walkway from DXA Studio. There would be a number of routes built into one bridge system, including “expressways” allowing people to get from Point A to Point B quickly, as well as opportunities to step off to the side to enjoy the scenery. According to Dezeen, there are also spaces for cafes and other retail businesses to build up below the bridge. The focus along the top of the bridge is on green space, with lots of plants and seating available to the public. This is where it serves as an actual extension of the High Line park.
There’s no official word on whether or not this plan will be put into action, but it did win the first prize at Metals in Construction’s 2019 Design Challenge. The prompt: envision a link between Hudson Yards and Moynihan Train Hall.
