MTA Secures $1.9B Contract Approval for Phase 2 of the Second Avenue Subway Extension
The highly anticipated and long-delayed construction of Phase 2 of the Second Avenue Subway extension, which will extend the Q-line approximately 1.5 miles to 125th Street took a big step forward on Monday upon the board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) approving a $1.972 billion contract with Connect Plus Partners (CPP). The joint venture of Nanuet, NY-based Halmar International, and Barcelona, Spain-based FCC Construction will “bore a pair of tunnels between 120th Street along Second Avenue up to 125th Street and Malcolm X Boulevard and build the structural frames for stations at 116th Street and 125th Street.” In addition, as a “cost-containment measure that saves the MTA $500 million,” CPP crews will also retrofit part of a 1970s-era tunnel under Second Avenue from 110th Street to 120th Street. Tunnel boring is expected to begin in 2027 and will “take place using 750-ton machines equipped with 22-foot diamond-studded drill heads. The contract for Phase 3 is currently under procurement, with crews under that contract building the underground space for the future 106th Street and Second Avenue station, while the final contract for Phase 4, which is currently in design, will cover the fit-out of the three new stations at 106, 116 and 125th Streets as well as the systems needed to run train service, such as track, signal, power and communications according to the press release by Governor Hochul’s office. Investments from New York State and Washington will help finance the project which represents the “largest tunneling contract in agency history, but — more important — with a project that pencils at the lowest cost per rider of any heavy rail project in America.” Additional cost-saving initiative practices due to lessons learned from Second Avenue Subway Phase 1 have saved Phase 2 more than $1.3 billion.