Fewer Than 1,000 Days to Go!

A significant project milestone occurred this past weekend: there are now less than 1,000 days until the start of revenue service for Phase I of the Second Avenue Subway. (*)

As a reminder, Phase I of the project is the extension of the existing Q Line service to the Upper East Side, under Second Avenue, with new station stops at 63rd, 72nd, 86th, and 96th Streets.

To mark this milestone, I have added a new web widget to the right-hand column of the blog to count down the days until the start of subway service.





(*) The MTA's current forecasted Revenue Service Date for Phase I of the project is December 30, 2016. This date can be found on page 5 of the MTA Capital Construction's 4Q2013 Quarterly Report for Phase I of the Second Avenue Subway project.


Here are the number of days that have passed since a few other key historic milestones (as of today, April 8, 2014):

929
The number of days since the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) completed the second of two tunnels for Phase I of the Second Avenue Subway, on September 22, 2011.

2,553
The number of days since the official ground breaking for Phase I of the Second Avenue Subway, on April 12, 2007.

3,652
The number of days since the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Second Avenue Subway was approved, on April 8, 2004.

4,765
The number of days since the "Notice of Intent", for the Second Avenue Subway, was published in the Federal Register on March 22, 2001.

6,872 +/- 15 days
The number of days since the Manhattan East Side Transit Alternatives Study was released, in June 1995.

15,766
The number of days since Governor Rockefeller and Mayor Lindsey broke ground for the Second Avenue subway on February 7, 1971 (during an earlier attempt to build the subway).

30,902
The number of days since the New York Times ran its first story about the Second Avenue Subway, on August 30, 1929.

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Here are a few notable progress photos from the MTA's Flickr page:


Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin
2/22/14


Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin
2/22/14


Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin
2/22/14


Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin
3/15/14


Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin
4/4/14

Additional recent MTA images can be found on these three links:

Second Avenue Subway: February 22, 2014
MTA Flickr page
22 images

Second Avenue Subway: March 15, 2014
MTA Flickr page
20 images

Second Avenue Subway: April 4, 2014
MTA Flickr page
7 images

Here's a listing of recent additions
to the right-hand column of The Launch Box:

Uber Announces Second Avenue Subway Expansion
Uber.com - 4/1/14

"The MTA’s Subways, Bridges and Tunnels Through the Eyes of an MTA Photographer"
By Esha Ray
WNET/Thirteen - 3/26/14

"UES sees boost from 2nd Ave subway progress"
By Tom Acitelli
The Real Deal - 3/1/14

SAS Quarterly Report - 4Q2013
MTA Capital Construction

SAS Quarterly Report - 3Q2013
MTA Capital Construction

SAS Quarterly Report - 2Q2013
MTA Capital Construction

(all 3 of these reports were posted on the MTA's web site only recently.)

::

MTA Second Avenue Subway Newsletter
Volume XXIII, March 2014

Lex Av/63rd St Station Area

72nd St Station Area

86th St Station Area

96th St Station Area

2nd Ave Subway Expansion Announced

Uber Technologies announced today that the company has completed the Second Avenue Subway line.



The project, which many have speculated will take years to complete, was outsourced to Uber Technologies, who is pleased to announce that it will be offering $2.50 flat rate journeys up and down Manhattan’s Second Avenue through the Uber app, effective immediately*.

The Second Avenue line represents the largest expansion of the New York City subway network in generations, and the completion of the project by Uber has allowed officials to favorably revise as completed even the most optimistic of timelines for the subway’s opening.

"I was in 6th grade I think when they first announced the line. The principal told the whole school early one morning, we were all so excited" recalls area woman Sybil Mailman. "This is a wonderful surprise to get on the eve of my 100th birthday."

Having assumed responsibility for the project only yesterday, Uber's flexible and technologydriven approach allowed them to skip a few steps, and launch the line within mere hours of securing the project. According to Uber NYC General Manager Joshua Mohrer, “We welcome the opportunity to assist Second Avenue riders. Although Uber is a young company, we are proud to have played our part in wrapping up one of the last outstanding projects of the New Deal Era.”

Says New York native Winston Cramer, “Uber stepping in has resulted in skipping major utility relocation, building demolition, underpinning, slurry wall construction, station excavation and concrete placement of the main station, entrances and ancillary facilities, as well as cut and cover excavation, disposal of 400,000 tons of soil, 40,000 tons of rock, and 22,000 trucks worth of debris. Which is nice.”

Uber is redefining the future of mass transit travel, and their work on the Second Avenue line represents their important commitment to solving the city of New York’s most pressing transit issues. It is as of yet unclear what the City will be doing with the existing Second Avenue tunnels, but a subterranean, East Side version of the High Line has been mooted by several prominent city planners.

*Second Avenue flat rate will be available on April 1, 2014, from 12:00 AM EDT to 11:59 PM EDT

Further details can be found on this link:
Uber Announces Second Avenue Subway Expansion
4/1/2014