Second Avenue Subway Project

The Second Avenue Subway Project is the ad-dition of a new subway track in New York City. The two-track line will run along Second Avenue from 125th Street to the Financial District in Lower Manhattan. After 70 years of planning, the line finally began construction On April 23, 2007. The 8.5-mile subway line will dramatically increase traffic flow for both suburban and city commuters. December 2016 is the expected completion date of the first phase. The first phase will connect three stations- at East 96th, 86th, and 72nd streets- to the station at the 63rd Street and Lexington Avenue.

Advantages

The new subway will reduce the delays and over-crowding on the Lexington Avenue line. Stations will have a combination of escalators, stairs, and elevators for the ease and convenience of the travelers. The Second Avenue Line will also connect with others trains. The Q train will stop at Lexing-ton Avenue and 63rd Street with cross-platform interchange to the F train. It will then merge with the Second Avenue Line at 64th Street. The resi-dents of Spanish Harlem and the Upper East Side will have direct mass transit service down both Second Avenue and Broadway to the Financial District.

Milestone

The Second Avenue Subway Project reached a milestone on September 22, 2011. The boring machine completed its second pass from 92nd Street and Second Avenue. The 483-ton machine broke through the wall into an existing tunnel at the Lexington Avenue/63rd Street station. The next step in the billion-dollar project will include installing the tracks, signals and communication systems. Metropolitan Transporta-tion Authority officials say the first phase of the subway line is on track for its debut in December 2016.

FundingMany organizations and people have helped fund this incredible project. In June 2012, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) awarded $197 million in funds for the first phase. This represents $1.3 billion in federal funding committed for the Met-ropolitan Transportation Authority project. A day after the FTA donated their amount, the federal government final installment, $123 million, also came through. Rep. Carolyn Maloney applauded the Obama administration for its commitment to the project. “Initiatives like the Second Avenue Subway help keep America competitive in the 21st century global economy,” she said.