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UPDATE 1/23/24: After months of near-announcements, the MTA finally revealed that phase two of the Second Avenue Subway line construction, set to push the Q train to 125th Street, will finally commence this year.
More specifically, the agency awarded the contract to CAC Industries, Inc., who will split the work into four steps, the first one dubbed "utility relocation," set to kick off in March.
Expected to take over three years and cost over $7 billion, the project will basically lay the ground work to eventually extend the line north from 96th Street, building stops at 106th, 116th and 125th Streets.
According to the MTA, all steps of phase two will be completed some time between 2030 and 2039.
Yes, we've got a long way to go.
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The near-mythical Second Avenue Subway finally became a reality back in January 2017 when the first phase of construction introduced three new stations on Manhattan’s Upper East Side: 72nd, 86th and 96th Streets, the largest extension of the NYC subway system in five decades. And now the second wave is upon us, with a northern expansion of the Q train into East Harlem, with stops planned at 106th, 116th and 125th Streets—and we’ve got renderings for some much-welcome proof.
On Wednesday, July 5, Governor Kathy Hochul announced that New York State is currently soliciting bids for the first construction contract for phase two, which would reportedly rake in $50 to $100 million for the chosen design firm, with work set to begin by the end of 2023. The whole extension project is said to cost a cool $7 billion.
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"MTA Construction and Development will be conducting an industry outreach event on July 11, 2023, to provide a project overview of Phase 2 of the Second Avenue Subway Project. Contractors and Consultants interested in participating on the project are invited to attend. The event will be held at MTA headquarters, at 2 Broadway in Manhattan," the transit agency posted on the MTA website.
Along with the announcement, the MTA has released new conceptual renderings of the exteriors and interiors of the planned 125th Street Station. In the images, the proposed new uptown terminal—which will serve the Q line as well as connections to the 4, 5 and 6 lines, Metro-North trains, and M60 Select Bus Service to LaGuardia Airport—looks similar to the phase one stations, with large glass windows allowing for plenty of light throughout.
“As part of my administration’s efforts to advance transit equity across New York State, the Second Avenue Subway project will expand critical public transportation service to East Harlem, creating more opportunity for residents,” said Gov. Kathy Hochul in a statement. “We remain committed to keeping this long-envisioned project moving along swiftly for East Harlem, and I am proud to see it moving one step closer to reality.”
Check out the phase two Second Avenue Subway renderings below:
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