New York Construction Report staff writer
Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) officials, elected leaders, and community advocates gathered for the groundbreaking of the major construction phase of the long-awaited Second Avenue Subway Phase 2 project this week, marking a historic milestone in a transportation initiative nearly a century in the making.
The $6.968 billion project is projected to enter revenue service in 2032 and is expected to create thousands of construction jobs, with a goal of ensuring that 20 percent of hires come from the local community.
A ceremony took place at East 120th Street and Second Avenue, the future launch site of a state-of-the-art tunnel boring machine (TBM) that will begin excavating new subway tunnels in early 2027. From this location, the massive machine will mine beneath Harlem, extending the Second Avenue Subway northward to 125th Street and Malcolm X Boulevard.
“The groundbreaking of Second Avenue Subway Phase 2 marks a major step forward in delivering the modern transit infrastructure New Yorkers deserve while creating thousands of family-sustaining, middle class careers in the process,” said Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York President Gary LaBarbera. “This project will connect East Harlem residents to jobs, education, healthcare, and opportunity throughout the city, while putting skilled tradesmen and tradeswomen to work building critical infrastructure that will serve generations to come.”
The groundbreaking follows restoration of federal funding for the project in April and coincides with the MTA’s announcement that it has awarded another major contract for Phase 2 construction. The MTA recently awarded the approximately $1.02 billion Contract 3 package to a joint venture of Skanska, Traylor Bros., and Walsh Construction, which will build the structural shell of the future 106th Street Station and complete associated tunneling between 105th and 110th Streets using a cut-and-cover construction method. Work is expected to begin in the coming months.
The centerpiece of the upcoming work will be the deployment of two variable-density tunnel boring machines, each weighing more than 1.5 million pounds and equipped with 23-foot tungsten carbide cutter heads. Designed to adapt to changing underground conditions, the machines can switch between excavation methods for hard rock and soft soils while simultaneously installing reinforced tunnel linings behind them. The TBMs are scheduled for delivery early next year.
“It was 80 years ago they started knocking down the Second Avenue El—an entire lifetime,” said MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber. “Today’s groundbreaking is another major step toward transit justice for East Harlem, the city’s most transit-dependent community.”
Looking beyond Phase 2, the state and MTA are already advancing plans for a potential future extension that would carry Q train service west along 125th Street to Broadway. Supported by $25 million included in the FY2027 state budget, preliminary engineering and environmental review work is now underway for the proposed expansion, which could add three additional stations and serve more than 160,000 daily riders.
If approved, officials said much of the same tunneling equipment and construction infrastructure from Phase 2 could be reused, potentially reducing costs and accelerating construction.
