Unbuilt plans for the Second Avenue Subway
The Second Avenue Subway, a New York City Subway line that runs under Second Avenue on the East Side of Manhattan, has been proposed since 1920; the first phase of the line did not open until 2017. Up until the 1960s, many distinct plans for the Second Avenue subway line were never carried out, though small segments were built in the 1970s. The complex reasons for these delays are why the line has been called "the line that time forgot".[1]
"History of the Second Avenue Subway" redirects here. For the history of the line after 1995, see Construction of the Second Avenue Subway.
The line was originally proposed in 1920 as part of a massive expansion of what would become the Independent Subway System (IND). The Great Depression crushed the original proposal, and lack of funds scuttled numerous revivals throughout the 20th century. Meanwhile, the elevated lines along Second Avenue and Third Avenue, which the Second Avenue Line was intended to replace, were respectively demolished in 1942 and 1955, leaving the Lexington Avenue Subway as the only rapid transit line on much of Manhattan's east side.
Construction of tunnels began in 1972 as part of the Program for Action, but was halted in 1975 because of the city's fiscal crisis, with only a few short segments of tunnel having been completed. Meanwhile, construction of the 63rd Street Lines, which would connect the Second Avenue Line and the IND Queens Boulevard Line to the BMT Broadway Line and the IND Sixth Avenue Line, began in 1969. The first segment of the 63rd Street Lines, which opened on October 29, 1989, included provisions for future connections to the Second Avenue Line. When the construction of the Second Avenue Subway finally commenced in the 21st century, the Lexington Avenue Line was by far the busiest subway line in the United States, with an estimated 1.3 million daily riders in 2015. The first phase of the Second Avenue Subway opened in 2017, and a second phase is under development as of 2024.
1970s: Original construction efforts[edit]
Construction starts[edit]
Despite the controversy over the number of stops and routes, a combination of Federal and State funding was obtained. In March 1972, the entire cost of the section between 34th Street and 126th Street, according to the projects Draft Environmental Study, was estimated to be $381 million.[34]: 1 In June 1972, it was announced that UMTA would grant $25 million for the construction of this section of the line. The MTA had requested $254 million in federal funds for the northern part of the line. Preliminary estimates of the cost of the southern portion of the line came to $450 million.[51] The entire section was to be constructed using the cut-and-cover method of subway construction, in which a trench is dug beneath the street and then covered. 14,300 square yards of decking were to have been used to cover the trench, allowing for traffic on Second Avenue to not be interrupted. The entire line from Water Street to 180th Street in the Bronx was expected to be completed by 1980.[17]: 107, 110 [36]
On September 13, 1972, construction work on Section 11 of Route 132-A, the section between 99th Street and 105th Street, went up for bid, and Slattery Associates of Maspeth, Queens got the low bid of $17,480,266.[36] The MTA board approved the award on September 22, 1972.[32]: 137 A groundbreaking ceremony was held on October 27, 1972 at Second Avenue and 103rd Street.[11][52][53] Construction began shortly thereafter on the segment.[17]: 110 [54] Work on the initial segment was slowed down due to a network of uncharted utility lines below the street. The utilities, as part of the construction, were to be relocated under the sidewalks. Old footings from the Second Avenue Elevated were found while the section was excavated.[55] Another problem in the construction of this segment was the large amount of ground water, which put enormous pressure on the tunnel. An underground substation was constructed at 105th Street, and five feet of concrete had to be poured for the floor so that the structure would not float in the muck.[56] This section is 1,815 feet (553 m) long.[19]: 9D-24
Construction costs for the entire line were pegged at $1 billion (about $7.284 billion today), and rose to $1.3 billion (about $8.923 billion today) a year later.[10] In December 1972, the NYCTA started soliciting bids for the construction of Section 13 of Route 132-A, which was between 110th and 120th Streets in East Harlem.[57]: 512 Bids opened on January 26, 1973, and the bid from Cayuga-Crimmins was the lowest of six bids. The contract was awarded on March 20, 1973, and, in that month, construction of the segment by Cayuga-Crimmins began at a cost of $35.45 million (equivalent to $258,218,000 in 2023).[54][57]: 555–556 [58] About half of this section was constructed through solid rock and therefore continual blasting was necessary. One worker was killed in the construction of this section.[56] This section is 2,556 feet (779 m) long.[19]: 9D-24
On October 25, 1973, the line's Chinatown segment, section 132-C5, commenced construction at Canal Street under the foot of the Manhattan Bridge.[17]: 110 [54] This segment, between Canal and Division Streets, was due to be completed by 1980 and was being built at a cost of $8.3 million (equal to about $56,968,000 in current dollars).[54] The segment, which is 738 feet (225 m) long, was constructed by the Horn–Kiewit Construction Company.[19]: 9D-24 [58] In January 1974, a contract, D-21308, was put out for the construction of Section 7 of Route 132-C, which spanned an area between 2nd Street and 9th Street in the East Village. Slattery Associates was awarded the contract in March 1974 with a low bid of $21,346,310 (equal to about $131,880,000 in current dollars). The job was expected to be completed in 39 months.[59] On July 25, 1974, construction on the segment was started near Second Street.[58][60]: 160 Another contract, for a Midtown segment between 50th and 54th Streets, was awarded that year for $34.6 million, with constructed expected to begin in the fall. However, construction never commenced.[58] In total, construction on the Second Avenue Line during the 1970s spanned over 27 blocks.[53][54][58]
The city also changed zoning regulations for areas located near planned stations, being first proposed in 1974 by Mayor Beame. New and existing buildings in these areas were required to build pedestrian plazas and arcades that would allow for the future construction of subway entrances.[6]: 222 [61] Permanent special transit use districts were created within 100 feet of the proposed stations.[17]: 110 [62] The line was designed so that Second Avenue could be widened at a later date by narrowing the sidewalks by five feet on either side of the street.[63]