The newest addition to New York City’s High Line has opened to the public. Named the Moynihan Connector, and designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill with James Corner Field Operations, the timber bridges form a link between a series of civic spaces from Midtown West to the West Village.

The Connector is composed of two bridges running above Dyer Avenue and West 30th Street, creating what the team calls an “elevated, accessible, and episodic urban journey from the doorstep of Moynihan Train Hall to the contemporary public spaces of Brookfield’s Manhattan West and the verdant gardens and historic structure of the High Line.” The larger bridge, named the Woodland Bridge, comprises a 340-foot-long structure of exposed weathered columns and angle bracket arms. Meanwhile, the 260-foot-long Timber Bridge comprises a glulam Warren truss made from sustainably sourced wood.

“The High Line – Moynihan Connector knits the city’s open spaces together — bringing greater accessibility to pedestrians across Midtown West’s major public amenities,” said SOM Design Principal Kim Van Holsbeke. “Both the Timber Bridge and the Woodland Bridge have distinct identities and expand the High Line’s rich tapestry of experiences. When walking from Moynihan Train Hall, through Manhattan West, across the two bridges, and to the historic High Line, travelers, residents, and commuters experience an episodic journey through some of the best civic spaces that New York has to offer.”

While holding their own architectural and structural expression, the two bridges are united by a material palette of weathered steel decking and bronze handrails. The extensive landscape strategy for the scheme includes a shift from high to low planting along the Woodland Bridge to create a “varied expression as visitors move in each direction,” while the public realm between the bridges has been shaped to offer views of the timer structures rising over the pathways below.

“Inspired by the eclectic character of the West Side and the High Line, the new Connector offers yet another kind of urban experience and promenade for the area,” added James Corner, Founder & CEO of Field Operations. “The design creates a sequential journey from one context to another, combining surprising industrial features and materials with lush woodland vegetation and directed vistas across the city. This new and vital pedestrian walk connects Midtown to the High Line and the West Side with a heightened sense of drama, spectacle, and delight.”

News of the completion comes in the same week that James Corner Field Operations completed work on the First Phase of the Amazon HQ2 in Arlington, Virginia. Meanwhile, SOM was among the winners of the CTBUH 2023 Award of Excellence, announced at the beginning of the month.