Reminds me of the whole elevator debacle at 68th Street where residents of that neighborhood don’t want elevators on 69th street because it would “change the character” of that street. Ridiculousness.
The Queensway just flat out wouldn’t work, in my opinion. The High Line relies on the heavy foot traffic around the areas it runs through, in addition to being accessible by multiple heavily-trafficked arteries (34th, 23rd, 14th). The Queensway would run through a somewhat isolated portion in Queens, and even though it bisects some prime corridors, it would pale in comparison to that of Midtown Manhattan.
Train service to the RBB should be restored, although that price tag really needs to be re-examined. Compared to other large scale projects, it should be much less expensive than the SAS and East Side Access.