By Mathew R. Warren
In April 2006, The Federal Transit Administration authorized the MTA to begin the final design of Phase One of the Second Avenue Subway construction project, which will include new stations along Second Avenue at 96th Street, 86th Street, and 72nd Street. Phase One will be an extension of the existing Q service in Manhattan, and connect to the F line at 63rd Street and Lexington, with new entrances on Third Avenue. As of today a winning bid for Phase One construction has been accepted and work could begin as early as this spring.
 SAS Phasing Plan
Phase One is the first of Four Phases of construction that will culminate in a new "T" line on Second Avenue from 125th Street to the Financial District in Lower Manhattan, with a total of sixteen new stations.
Since the destruction of the Second Avenue El in 1942, and the Third Avenue El in 1956 the far eastside of Manhattan has remained neglected by the city’s subway system. Declared a priority in New York in the 1920s, the Second Avenue Subway is not a new idea. With failed attempts during the depression and 1950s, the project did finally commence in the 1970s, leading to the construction of some sections of tunnel, until in 1975 the city’s financial crisis brough the project to a halt. Interest once again picked up in the 1990s, and in 2005 voters approved the Transportation Bond Act giving the green light for the project to once again go ahead.
Many of the state and city’s politicians have been outspoken about the need for a new subway on Second Avenue. After the U.S. Department of Transportation awarded $24,502,000 to the MTA for the project on August 3, 2006, Senator Hillary Clinton stated, “It is clearer than ever that we need to get the Second Avenue Subway up and running. The Second Avenue Subway will be a huge investment in our city’s infrastructure, which will make life easier for commuters and visitors alike. This funding will be a boost to the Second Avenue Subway project and I am pleased that we can continue to support these kinds of significant investments in the city.”
Many city residents as well support the project. According to a NY 1 survey conducted in September of 2006, 52% of subway riders surveyed said the Second Avenue Subway is a top priority for the transit system. But it might depend on who you are asking. Some thirty or so buildings that house about 80 businesses and 400 residents are expected to be knocked down along Second Avenue to make way for station entrances, ventilation shafts and other parts of the project. Though plans are still somewhat up in the air, Phase One alone is expected to cause the destruction of about 60 residential units and numerous businesses on the Upper East Side. Residents who are to be to be affected have expressed a great deal of concern to the MTA. By law, the MTA is required to find affected residents comparable apartments, but long time residents fear their rent stabilized apartments can’t be matched in today’s market.
Some affected business owners are trying to work with the MTA to find solutions to save their business. The extremely popular Tony’s DiNapoli on 83rd Street and Second avenue was originally slated to go, but as manager Bruce M. Dimpflmaier explained, “Though we are concerned we are working with the MTA to try and work out alternatives and things are looking positive.”
Even business owners along Second Avenue who feel fortunate that their businesses are not going to be affected are still unhappy about the project in general. Referring to how the subway’s construction will be disruptive to his business, one Second Avenue restaurant owner, who preferred to remain anonymous, described, “Its going to be like a war zone!”
Residents in rent stabilized walk ups will not be the only Upper East Side residents to be affected. A concierge At 250 E 87th Street, a luxury high rise where part of the driveway and garden are to be seized for the construction of a ventilation shaft, expressed, “A lot of residents are definitely concerned. It’s definitely going to be an eye sore.”
Regardless of complaints from residents and business owners, it does seem that construction of the Second Avenue Subway will not be put off any longer. Phase One is expected to be completed in 2013, and the entire line in 2030, at an estimated cost of $13 billion.
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