MTA Capital Construction unveiled its latest exhibit entitled Second Avenue Subway: Phase 2 and Beyond, at the Second Avenue Subway Community Information Center (CIC), shortly before the facility’s 20,000^th visitor crossed the threshold.

The new exhibit gives an in-depth look into the next phase of the Second Avenue Subway.  Highlighting the history, the construction process, and the connectivity to the existing system, this exhibit illustrates how important Phase 2 is, not only for Manhattan, but for the entire NYC Metropolitan area.

The interactive exhibit, comprised of four iPad stations that control high-definition monitors, features short videos highlighting construction methodology, project history, and vignettes about each of the destinations riders can visit along the  line, which will be extended from its current route north along Second Avenue from 63^rd to 96^th Streets. 

MTA Capital Construction President Michael Horodniceanu greeted the Community Information Center’s 20,000th visitor as she walked in the door. Horodniceanu presented her with a plaque adorned by a piece of Manhattan Schist excavated from below Second Avenue during construction of the Second Avenue subway. 

“The Community Information Center has helped residents and businesses understand what is involved in building such a massive project,” said Horodniceanu.  “Combined with our workshops; community tours; community board presentations; construction advisory committee meetings; newsletters; email communications and more, our proactive approach to community relations has resulted in more tolerance to the inconveniences caused by construction.”

The center runs monthly programming, including: Transit Talks, where a project expert speaks to a topic of interest; children’s events, where children can learn about subway construction, try on safety equipment, and participate in an art project; and, until June of this year, community tours which took dozens of community members underground each month to see the progress first hand.  Those who participate in CIC programming often become ambassadors for the project and the positive impact it will have on the Upper East Side community.

The four previous exhibits, 80 Years in the Making: The History of the Second Avenue Subway; En Route: The Techniques and Technologies Used to Build the Second Avenue Subway; Above and Below: Designing the Second Avenue Subway; and The People Behind the Project, Bringing the Second Avenue Subway to Life are archived in the interactive exhibit so visitors can still access the wealth of information they contain about the project. 

About the CIC

Located at 1628 Second Avenue between 84^th and 85^th Streets, the center serves as a “one-stop shop” where Second Avenue residents, businesses, stakeholders and the general public can learn more about the project.  Community Liaisons are available to answer questions and field concerns. Since opening in July 2013, it has served New York City residents and tourists who are fascinated by the first new subway line construction project in over 80 years. Visitors can learn about the history and construction of the project, express complaints and concerns, or ask questions to project staff.

To date, the CIC has hosted over 100 presentations for area school groups on engineering, construction and the Second Avenue Subway; hosted 73 community tours showing more than 2,000 residents the caverns, tunnels, and stations at various stages of construction, and welcomed foreign governments, trade associations, and real estate professionals to learn about the project.

About the Second Avenue Subway

Phase 1 of the Second Avenue Subway will serve more than 200,000 people per day, reducing overcrowding on the Lexington Avenue Line and restoring a transit link to a neighborhood that lost the Second Avenue Elevated in 1940.

When Phase I is complete, it will decrease crowding on the adjacent Lexington Avenue Line by as much as 13%, or 23,500 fewer riders on an average weekday.  It will also reduce travel times by up to 10 minutes or more (up to 27 percent) for those on the far east side or those traveling from the east side to west midtown.

The line is being built in four phases, with the first phase providing service from 96th Street to 63rd Street as an extension of the .  Customers can stay on the train to travel to the West Side, Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn via the Broadway line.  Three new ADA-accessible stations are being built along Second Avenue at 96th, 86th and 72nd Streets, as well as new entrances to the existing Lexington Av/63 Street Station at 63rd Street and Third Avenue.  Further phases of the project will extend the line to Hanover Square in the Financial District. 

Photo Captions

Photo 1 (left to right): MTA Capital Construction President Michael Horodniceanu with SAS Community Information Center 20,000^th visitor, Barbara Dub who is joined by Loraine Poveromo.

Photo 2: The SAS Community Information Center’s new exhibit, entitled Second Avenue Subway: Phase 2 and Beyond gives an in-depth look into the next phase of the Second Avenue Subway.