Governor Hochul Advances Second Avenue Subway Plans
Governor Kathy Hochul is pushing forward with her long-awaited Second Avenue subway project, but this move has raised concerns about the timeline for completing other lines.
She recently unveiled plans to extend the subway along 125th Street, adding new Q stations at Lenox Avenue, St. Nicholas Avenue, and Broadway.
However, instead of continuing south from the long-discussed spot I-72, the focus has shifted. This adjustment was announced during Tuesday’s State of the Union address in Albany, leaving some commuters frustrated.
“Let’s face it,” said Laura Young, 38. “There are already too many trains on the 125. We really don’t need another one. Honestly, we could use a train that stops here to save the long walk.”
Hochul’s decision to delay the continuation of the North-South Q Line comes after a $16 million state-funded feasibility study indicated it would be quicker and cheaper to keep the tunnel boring machines digging through East Harlem once the initial expansion wraps up around 2031.
“Extending the Second Avenue subway will save hundreds of millions in future expenses and offer significant time savings, which will be great for the 240,000 daily riders we anticipate,” Hochul stated.
This new crosstown section aims to connect Upper Manhattan’s east-west subway lines, linking the Q line to the 1, 2, 3, A, B, C, and D lines. The MTA projects this will cost around $7.5 billion in 2023.
Hochul’s plan also sidesteps the more intricate and expensive work that lies downtown, which the MTA estimates at $13.5 billion across two phases.
Though a final decision awaits the MTA’s funding priorities for the next Capital Plan, which is set for 2029, this pivot could delay hopes of extending the subway into downtown, a vision that’s been around for over a century.
The proposed expansion would cover three miles from 72nd Street to Houston Street, featuring stops at locations like 55th Street, 42nd Street, 34th Street, 23rd Street, 14th Street, and Houston Street.
Resident Ana Perdomo, 57, expressed disappointment, noting that this expansion would significantly reduce her daily commute by allowing her to transfer at Grand Central and walk to 23rd Street and Second.
“Why aren’t they doing this now?” Perdomo lamented. “It’s frustrating.”
She further commented, “They probably think it’s too costly, but come on, they’re making enough money. They raised the fares—so where is that revenue going?”
The project has undergone numerous changes since the 1920s. In the early 2000s, the MTA invested $1.05 billion in environmental studies and designs for a new line that would run up Manhattan’s eastern side. At the time, findings suggested that a new track could “revitalize lower Manhattan.”
The MTA also allocated $700 million in the 1990s to examine the north-south component of the Second Avenue subway.
