What does the Next Phase of the Second Avenue Subway Mean for the Trevor Community?
By Anabelle Baum
The MTA recently released a new capital plan to invest 51.5 billion dollars in the New York City transit system, the largest financed project in the history of New York City. This will include many improvements, including signals, accessibility, and new trains, but destined to have the greatest impact on the Trevor community is the expansion of the Second Avenue Subway. In phase Two of the Second Avenue Project, the MTA will add three additional stops extending the line north to 125th Street.
Phase one of the Second Avenue Subway opened to the public on January 1st, 2017, one hundred years after the project was initially proposed. This phase extended the subway from 63rd to 96th Street at the cost of 4.45 billion dollars. The project included three stops located at 72nd, 86th, and 96th Street, as well as the expansion of the 63rd Street station to connect the tracks to the existing subway system. This entire project was only 2 miles long and held the record for the most expensive subway construction per mile in the world.
Phase two has been given a budget of 4.55 billion dollars, breaking the record of phase one. This development will include new stops at 106th, 116th, and 125th Streets, with a connection to the Lexington 4, 5, and 6 stations at 125th Street and the Metro-North stop at 125th Street. According to the MTA, “this phase will relieve congestion on the Lexington Avenue line and strengthen access to jobs and education for East Harlem residents.”
“It may expand the geographic profile of the Trevor community, since people will now be able to commute from the Bronx, Westchester, and as far as Connecticut. ”
The connection to Metro-North and the 4, 5, and 6 will make it easier for students and faculty at Trevor who commute from north of 96th Street to get to the East campus. It may also expand the geographic profile of the Trevor community, since people will now be able to commute from the Bronx, Westchester, and as far as Connecticut and be dropped right around the corner from Trevor’s front door with just one transfer.
As exciting as the expansion seems for our community, the construction of phase one took ten years to complete, from the day construction began until it was open to the public. If phase Two of development has a similar timeline, it will not be ready for riders until 2029. Current pre-k and kindergarten students are likely to be the only currently-enrolled Trevor students who will be able to use phase Two before graduation.
While this new chapter of the Q-line promises greater accessibility and convenience for the Upper East Side and Harlem, there will be many disruptions in our neighborhood due to construction in the coming years. However, the inconveniences remain necessary so that, in the words of Governor Cuomo, New Yorkers will get “the transit system they deserve.”
Works Cited:
Siff, Andrew. “MTA Proposes $51.5B Capital Plan to Fix Transit System.” NBC New York, NBC New York, 17 Sept. 2019.
Barone, Vincent. “The MTA's next 5 Years, at $51.5 Billion.” Am New York, Am New York, 17 Sept. 2019.
MTA Press Releases. “ MTA Releases Proposed 2020-2024 Capital Plan, Directing Historic Level of Investment to Make System Faster, More Accessible and More Reliable.” MTA New York, 16 Sept. 2019.