Final phase of High Line launches

It may be under weeds and rusty railroad tracks, but the final section of the High Line is now underway.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg opened the third and final section of the High Line this morning, showing where the popular park’s third and final section will extend to 34th Street.

The High Line has been a hot spot for both tourists and New Yorkers, attracting about 10 million people since opening in 2009, according to the mayor’s office.

The extension, which officials are calling the High Line at the Rail Yards, will cost about $90 million and is slated to open in 2014.

Bloomberg called the elevated space “a one-of-a-kind public park.”

“The park has become a local treasure and an international icon, as well as an important generator of economic growth for our city,” he said.

To officially start the construction, the mayor and students from Chelsea’s Clinton Middle School tossed seeds of native grass and wildflowers onto the site.

The extension will incorporate favorites from other parts of the park, like meandering pathways and benches, and will add a playground area for kids.

The space used to be rail tracks, but it had been abandoned since trains stopped running in the 1980s.

In October, builders will start removing rail tracks and ballast and waterproof the elevated rail.

The construction area is closed to the public, but visitors can see the site during Rail Yards Weekends, which hosts tours between 12 and 4 p.m. the first two weekends in October.