Randall's Island Hell Gate Pathway

New York, NY, USA

Landscape Architects: Starr Whitehouse Landscape Architects and Planners

Location: 10035 New York, NY, USA
Year: Ongoing

Threading under the strong sweep of the Hell Gate Bridge, the pedestrian and cycling pathway provides Randall’s Island with a circulation spine that connects recreational uses on the island and celebrates the industrial scale of the site. The beauty of the viaduct structure –its strong, tall arches– lends to a majestic pathway experience. The route celebrates infrastructure, running under the Amtrak trestle, passing by the FDNY Training Center and the Wards Island Water Pollution Control Plant, and viewing out to the ramps and spans of the Triborough Bridge. Starr Whitehouse’s design creates a linear sequence of landscape experiences that captures the diverse conditions on the island: mature and emergent woodlands, successional meadows, low lying wetlands, grasslands and river edge. The succession of native plant environments adds a new layer of ecological and scenic value to the island’s impressive infrastructure and redeveloped recreational facilities.