Plans to bring subway service to East Harlem are getting back on track, according to an Aug. 18 news release from New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority selected Connect Plus Partners, a joint venture of Nanuet, New York-based Halmar International and Madrid, Spain-based FCC Construction, to move forward with the largest tunneling contract in agency history, according to the release. The $1.97 billion award covers excavation of the new tunnel between 116th and 125th streets, as well as space for the future 125th Street Station.
Crews will also retrofit a tunnel segment built in the 1970s to house the future 116th Street Station. The move will save the MTA about $500 million, according to the release.
Tunnel boring will occur 35 to 120 feet below Second Avenue, using 750-ton machines equipped with 22-foot diamond-studded drill heads. Connect Plus Partners expects to begin early preparation work later this year, followed by heavy civil construction in 2026 and tunnel boring in 2027.
The award is the second of four major contracts for Phase 2 of the Second Avenue Subway expansion, which will extend the Q line north. The expansion will serve an additional 110,000 daily riders and shorten East Harlem commutes by up to 20 minutes, according to the release.
The JV team expects to complete the project in September 2032.
Phase 2 has a total budget of $6.99 billion, partially funded through New York’s congestion relief zone tolling program. In January, the MTA awarded the first Phase 2 contract, a $186.6 million deal with an AECOM and HNTB joint venture. Scope of work on that contract included relocation of utilities and oversight of early construction.
Two additional contracts remain in procurement and design, including station buildout at 106th Street and system fit-out work for three more stations, according to the release.
