NYC's Second Avenue Subway Extends Into East Harlem

MTA approves $1.9B contract to extend Second Avenue Subway to 125th Street

MTA Inks $1.9B Deal for Second Avenue Subway

The MTA's Second Avenue Subway will extend deeper into East Harlem after the transit agency's board approved a $1.9 billion contract Monday. Connect Plus Partners will bore tunnels to East 125th Street and build a station at 116th Street, officials said. The work represents a major step in the nearly $8 billion project that's been decades in the making.

Decades-Long Project Moves Forward

The Second Avenue line has been planned since 1929 but faced repeated delays, including a 1972 construction halt during New York City's fiscal crisis. Modern work began in 2007, and Phase 1 opened in 2017 with three stations serving about 200,000 daily riders. The Federal Transit Administration approved $3.4 billion in funding for Phase 2 in April 2023, providing the financial foundation for the current contract. Transit officials said the extension will reduce crowding on the Lexington Avenue line while improving access for upper Manhattan residents.

Contract Covers Tunnel and Station Work

The $1.9 billion contract covers tunnel boring from 96th Street to 125th Street, a distance of about 1.5 miles, and construction of the 116th Street station shell. Phase 2 will ultimately add three new stations to the line. Officials said congestion pricing revenue will partially fund the project, though they haven't released a detailed breakdown of the $8 billion total cost. The MTA hasn't announced when tunnel boring will begin or provided a completion timeline for the extension.

Timeline Remains Unclear

The MTA hasn't announced when construction will begin on the tunnel boring work or when Phase 2 might open to riders. Phase 1 took a decade to complete after modern construction started in 2007. The agency typically releases detailed timelines after major contracts are finalized, but that information wasn't available by publication time.

Extension to Serve East Harlem Riders

The extension will bring subway service to neighborhoods that've relied on buses and the overcrowded Lexington Avenue line for decades. Officials haven't released ridership projections for the new stations. Riders can track construction updates and service changes through Moovit, which provides real-time information for all MTA subway lines including the Q train that serves the Second Avenue Subway.