Phase two will extend train service from the Second Avenue Subway's northern terminus at the 96th Street station on the Upper East Side to East Harlem. There will be new stations at 106th Street and 116th Street on Second Avenue and 125 Street at Park Avenue. Credit: MTA

NEW YORK CITY—MTA officials hailed the ruling by the Federal Transportation Administration that the second phase of the Second Avenue Subway project will pose no significant environmental impact as a major milestone in getting the project started.

The MTA reports that the FTA, part of the US Department of Transportation, recently issued a “Finding of No Significant Impact” for phase two of the Second Avenue Subway project based on its review of the MTA's Supplemental Environmental Assessment prepared for the project.

The next phase before a shovel goes into the ground will be to secure federal funding for phase two.

Phase one of the Second Avenue Subway, which began service on Jan. 1, 2017, reduced crowding at parallel stations on the 4, 5 and 6 subway trains by up to 40% during the morning rush hour. Phase one of the project cost approximately $4.45 billion to complete and there have been estimates that phase two will cost approximately $6 billion to finish.

The phase of the project will extend the Q Subway train line from its current terminus at 96th Street and Second Avenue, north to 125th Street, then west to Lexington and Park Avenues, where it will connect with the 4, 5 and 6 subway trains and the Metro-North Railroad. Three new stations will be built at 106th Street and Second Avenue, 116th Street and Second Avenue, and 125th Street and Lexington Avenue. Tail tracks, where trains will be stored prior to heading back south, will continue west just past Lenox Avenue.

Among the chief benefits of phase two will be the expanded service will serve approximately 300,000 riders daily on phases 1 and 2 combined; it will increase multimodal transit connectivity at the 125th Street station—with connections to the 4, 5 and 6 subway trains, Metro-North trains and the M60 select bus service to LaGuardia Airport. It will also provide a one-seat ride for commuters from East Harlem to the Upper East Side and West Midtown, and provide a connection to the Financial District, and to Coney Island on the Broadway line.

MTA officials note that phase two will provide a number of benefits for the East Harlem community, much of which sits in a “transit desert” with few public transportation choices. The new service will also stimulate the local economy, create thousands of jobs, cut commute time by up to 20 minutes a day, and further reduce crowding on the Lexington Avenue line.

“This is an important milestone that puts us a step closer to providing a long-overdue subway to serve the people of East Harlem,” says MTA chief development officer Janno Lieber. “With the environmental approval in place, we can move into a new phase in the effort to secure federal funding for this important project. It's urgent to build Second Avenue Subway Phase two so East Harlem can begin to receive the same benefits Phase one has delivered for the Upper East Side.”

The positive FONSI by the FTA was issued after an extensive update of the original Environmental Impact Statement prepared in 2004. The finding means that changes to the design of the project since that time were found to have no additional significant adverse impact on the environment in the construction area, MTA officials state.

Instant Insights /

FTA Ruling Marks Major Milestone for Phase Two of Second Avenue Subway Project

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