CEO Janno Lieber at a particular assembly the place the board voted to approve a development contract for part 2 of the Second Avenue Subway that can lengthen the road to East Harlem.
Marc A. Hermann / MTA
I’ll admit “MTA Awards Boring Contract” doesn’t sound just like the transit headline of the yr, but it surely’s true. At a particular assembly final week, the MTA Board voted to approve the biggest tunneling contract in company historical past to convey the Second Avenue Subway into East Harlem, virtually 100 years after the concept was first proposed. Residents have waited lengthy sufficient, and we are able to’t – and received’t – maintain them ready any longer for Part 2.
This $1.972 billion contract contains work to increase present tunnels to 125 St and excavate area for the longer term 116 St and 125 St stations, with one other cease at 106 St to be constructed as a part of a separate contract. Heavy civil development will begin within the new yr, with the tunnel boring itself anticipated to start in 2027. Crews will use 750-ton machines outfitted with 22-foot diamond studded drill heads to dig the brand new section deep beneath Second Avenue at a tempo of roughly 40 ft per day.
As soon as accomplished, the extension stands to learn greater than 300,000 riders – together with 110,000 new riders – making SAS2 a rattling good funding by the numbers. Everyone knows constructing in New York ain’t low cost, however the finances for Part 2 is in the identical vary as tunnel tasks by worldwide friends, and the entire challenge is available in on the lowest value per rider of any heavy rail challenge in America.
We’re protecting prices low through the use of Design Construct – a primary for an MTA tunneling challenge, unifying design and development components – and by incorporating the teachings realized from Part 1, which opened in 2017. For that challenge, utility relocation was a serious driver of prices and delays. This time round, we began that work early – greater than a yr in the past – to attenuate any impacts.
This isn’t straightforward to do, however as I prefer to say, the brand new MTA isn’t afraid to do the exhausting stuff. Because of Governor Hochul, we’re embarking on our most formidable capital plan but – $68.4 billion {dollars} – to create a greater system for the 15 million individuals who name the metropolitan area dwelling. It’s a brand new golden age for transit development and enlargement.
Not simply SAS2, however the Interborough Categorical (which we simply celebrated just a few weeks in the past), Metro-North Penn Entry by means of the Bronx, main LIRR enlargement tasks like Third Observe and Double Observe and Grand Central Madison, and what’s in some methods our largest enlargement challenge: making subway stations ADA accessible 5 occasions quicker than prior to now.
As a lifelong New Yorker, I do know that people are perennially wanting on the MTA to do extra and to do higher, and I’m proud to say we’re. Ridership is rising, service is enhancing throughout the board — serving to to revive New York’s financial system post-COVID — and now we’re making headway on a transformative, generational megaproject. There may be gentle on the finish of the tunnel, and it’s three new stations in East Harlem.
Janno Lieber is MTA Chair and CEO.
