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Photo Tour Of Humongous Cavern Under Second Avenue
By
Jacob Dobkin
Published Mar 8, 2012
Modified Mar 8, 2012
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Photograph by Jake Dobkin/Gothamist
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By
Jacob Dobkin
Published Mar 8, 2012
Modified Mar 8, 2012
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When we last visited the Second Avenue Subway construction project, they were launching their massive tunnel boring machines from 92nd and 2nd Avenue, headed south. In the 22 months that have passed since then, those TBMs reached 63rd Street in the East Tunnel, and 65th Street on the West Tunnel. Blasting was used to complete the curving section of the West tunnel, which will connect the new line to the existing Q tracks via an unused tunnel under the southeast corner of Central Park. The focus of work is now completing the massive new stations at 72nd Street, 86th Street, and 96th Street. Blasting is about 75% complete at the 72nd Street cavern, which we visited last night on a press tour. The MTA expects the blasting to be complete by the end of June. Then more blasting will begin on the 86th Street cavern around the end of this month.
If the state and local governments can come up with another $950MM, and everything goes right with the current construction plan, subway service will commence in December 2016. But wait—there's more. The current construction is only phase one of a four stage construction plan. In stage two, the line would be extended north to 125th Street. In stage three, the line would be driven south to Houston Street. And finally, in stage four, the line would be completed south from Houston to Hanover Square, all the way at the tip of Manhattan. Those last three phases remain unfunded and unscheduled, but who knows, maybe your grandkids will live to see the line completed.
Tagged
construction
MTA
mta capital projects
second avenue subway
subway
Jacob Dobkin
Jake Dobkin co-founded Gothamist with Jen Chung. In 2019, Jake released Ask a Native New Yorker, a book based on his Gothamist advice column.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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