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.
