Officials break ground on what will be the first public area of Freshkills Park, a space that used to be a landfill. 

The landfill closed in 2001.

The new park will be called North Park.

City officials chose this space inside the dump because it had been closed the longest, since 1996.

It will house a bike lane and repair shop, walking paths, add a seven-acre seed farm. 

"North Park is just the beginning," said Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver. "This is the largest landfill to park transformation in the world. And once we're done you'll have 2,200 acres to enjoy. Now that's three times the size of Central Park." 

The project is expected to cost nearly $30 million, most of which was funded by former Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration. 

The recreational space will be open in 2020.

The whole site is expected to be made public by 2036.