Fresh Look at Fresh Kills

Fresh Kills Park takes shape, as mounds of capped gardbage are transformed into rolling hills. CLICK TO ZOOM (Courtesy NYC Parks&Rec)

It will be decades before the 2,200-acre Fresh Kills Park will be totally completed in Staten Island, making it the second largest in the city after Pelham Bay Park and almost three times as large Central Park. Some time next year, limited sections of the park are expected to open to the public, but for those who can’t wait, the city’s Parks Department is guiding private tours through the Field Operations-designed landscape starting next month. Uh, make that May—even though the tours were just announced yesterday, they’re filling up so fast that all the April spots are already taken. The tour season runs through November and will afford visitors breathtaking views of the city and what was once the world’s largest landfill. To sign up, visit the park’s website or—what else—call 311. Should you fail to make it out for a tour, you’ll find a small one after the jump.

A view from one of the ridges that will be a stop on the new tour.
A view of the Fresh Kills near its mouth, where it joins the Arthur Kills. (Courtesy NYC Parks&Rec).
A rendering of a portion of the completed park. CLICK TO ZOOM (Courtesy NYC Parks&Rec)
An aerial view of the park, as yet unbuilt. (Courtesy Bing Maps)
The first two phases of the plan will take a decade to complete, at which point work should commence on the eastern and western sections, as well as the "Confluence," where all four quadrants meet. (Courtesy NYC Parks&Rec)
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