NEW YORK — The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has begun the process of extending the Second Avenue Subway, announcing Wednesday that it was soliciting the first contract for construction to 125th Street in Harlem.
The initial contract will cover utility relocation, setting the stage for construction of three stations and system infrastructure. With the solicitation posted, a contract is expected to be awarded this fall, with work to begin before the end of the year.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a press release that the subway extension “will expand critical public transportation service to East Harlem, creating more opportunity for residents,” while MTA CEO Janno Lieber said the project “will serve over 100,000 riders daily, connecting Harlemites to jobs, education, and opportunity throughout the region.”
The planned second phase of construction will extend the line about 1.5 miles, from 96th Street north to 125th street, then west to Park Avenue. It will include new stations at 106th and 116th streets on Second Avenue, and provide a connection to the existing 125th Street Station on the Lexington Avenue line. There will also be an entrance at the station at 125th and Park allowing transfers to the Metro-North Railroad 125th Street station.
The first phase of the Second Avenue Subway opened in 2017. The website amNY.com notes that 1.8-mile project cost $4.6 billion and is one of the most expensive transit projects in history, on a per-mile basis. The second phase will be even more expensive — $6.95 billion according to MTA estimates, even though a portion of the route will use a tunnel built in the 1970s then abandoned during New York’s fiscal crisis.
Better late than never!
Dr. Güntürk Üstün
Extension of the 2nd Avenue Stubway not subway as it should be called. When you look at how the orginal Contract One subway line was built and we are talking about an entire subway line from City Hall to 145th Street as well as other notable lines the Sixth Avenue Subway as well as the Eighth Avenue Subway and those were lines constructed with construction equipment and methods considered by today’s standards as primitive and outdated and what was accomplished and when you see how long it is taking and the enormous cost involved just to build an extenstion that will go for only a mile or so what a joke and a boondoogle this is costing . Back in 1904 and even the 1930s over a billion dollars or so would have gotten you a complete 2nd Avenue Subway with 4 tracks two local and 2 express numerous connections plus a few tunnels connecting it to other lines as well as connections into Queens and Brooklyn and the 2nd Avenue line going into the Bronx as well . The otginal plan was for the 2nd Avenue to replace both the 3rd Avenue and 2nd Avenue els in Manhattan and the Bronx and relieve the pressure and overcrowding on the Lexington Avenue subway. This poor imitation and joke of the 2nd Avenue Stubway comes no way near or even close to what it should have been when first planned over a hundred years ago Only two tracks and stations that are far apart from each other and to curve the subway under 125th Street to Park Avenue don’t really make sense. This add on feature is only being done as a consolation to make up for the lack of decent connections to other lines, something that was in the orginal plans for the 2nd Avenue Subway And of course we will never ever see the 2nd Avenue subway going south of 63rd Street to serve downtown or Water Street. Not in our lifetimes or never. It is drawn up in the plans but no thought or schedule or funding to build that section.
By the way this extension of the 2nd Avenue Stubway will not be running or ready for several years One estimate had it ready by 2027 oe so but the way things move and especially in New York City and the MTA it might be much later than that. Don’t hold your breath waiting for your chance to ride the new extension You might be waiting or will wait a very long time for its completion.
Joseph C. Markfelder
In the 1970″s, three short sections of the Second Avenue subway were excavated before the money ran out; a very short section in lower Manhattan which will no longer be used, a section between 99th Street and 105th Street, and a section between 110th Street and 120th Street. These sections were completed to the point where only infrastructure (track, signals, etc.) needed to be installed.
Phase 1 construction to 96th Street included the excavation of the “plug” between 96th & 99th Streets to extend trackage to 105th Street. This is currently used for non-revenue train movements.
I have asked several people associated with the project why the “plug” between 105th & 110th Streets was not excavated as part of the project. The contractors were on-scene, and there was no learning curve needed. When I did get an answer, it was either “no money in the budget”, or “it hasn’t been designed yet”.
I’m sure that the cost to excavate this “plug” is probably double by now.
Utility relocations? Never on time of a contract. Always a thousand excuses. Have no idea of what employment in New York is but around here always man power short. Cable companies especially bad. But our cities’ utilities always short.
Almost 25 years ago I was introduced to the concept of “bad transit karma” at a presentation covering the NY City subway system at Cooper Union. Basically, whenever they announce any moves toward expansion or rebuilding something happens like a World War or Great Depression. Now if y’all will excuse me I need to go move into the fallout shelter.
Second Avenue subway — progress is measured in intervals of six decades.