The Launch Box

Building Phase 1 of the Second Avenue Subway (2007-2017)

SECOND AVE SUBWAY, PHASE 1
Start of Revenue Service
at 12 Noon on January 1st

THE LAUNCH BOX
A blog about building the
Second Avenue Subway
Copyright © 2007-2025

Author: Ben Heckscher
email: contact me

Please contact me if you wish to use any of the content (e.g. images) within this blog.

Content reproduced by The Launch Box remain the copyrights of the original publishers.

DISCLAIMERS:
1. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is not associated with nor does it endorse this website or its content.

2. I am not affiliated with the MTA, any of the contractors working on this project, the City of New York, the State of New York, or the Federal Government. I'm a citizen journalist who spent ten years following this project.

ANNOUNCED
REVENUE SERVICE DATES
FOR PHASE ONE

1/1/2017
~~12/30/2016~~
~~7/2016 - 7/2017~~
~~2015~~
~~2014~~
~~2013~~
~~2012~~

i.e. the date when Q Line service will be extended to the Upper East Side, via Second Avenue, with station stops at 63rd, 72nd, 86th, and 96th Streets.

OFFICIAL INFORMATION
FROM THE MTA

Project Information
Street Restoration Plan
Contact Details for the MTA's Second Avenue Subway Project Team
::
Video: What is the Second Avenue Subway? (1:00)
Video: Art of the Second Avenue Subway (7:34)
Video: Second Avenue Subway - Update (1:57) - 9/22/11
Video: Second Avenue Subway - Update (2:44) - 6/25/15
Images: MTA SAS Flickr site
::
SAS Quarterly Report - 2Q2016
Capital Program Dashboard - SAS
::
Final Environmental Impact Statement
Manhattan East Side Transit Alternatives / Second Avenue Subway Summary Report
::
Contract Information (unofficial)

FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION

SAS Project Profile
FTA Technical Memorandums

STATION LAYOUTS
via Google Maps

(click on any sign image)

Second Avenue Subway, Phase 1
(All stations on a single map)

Second Avenue Subway, Phase 2

MAPS

2nd Avenue Subway, Phase I
2nd Avenue Subway, Full Route

POSTINGS OF NOTE

At Long Last, a 2nd Ave Subway - 1/1/17
2nd Av Subway to Open Jan 1st - 12/19/16
The Final Push - 12/9/16
::
Phase 2 Moves Forward Slowly - 10/29/15
First train under 2nd Avenue - 6/7/15
::
SAS Phase 2 Moves Forward - 8/7/14
1,000 Days and Counting - 4/8/14
::
The SAS CIC - 9/30/13
100 Years Ago on 2nd Ave - 1/20/13
::
Behind the Blue Wall - 10/21/12
Blast Rocks 2nd. Ave. - 8/21/12
Contract One: Nearly Done - 3/11/12
Secrets Under New York - 1/21/12
::
A Cease Blasting Order - 11/22/11
Beyond the Pilot Cut - 10/4/11
TBM Hole Through - 9/22/11
Brilliant Morning Light - 9/13/11
Take Me Back to 1973 ! - 7/31/11
The Hunter College Report - 5/18/11
A View Down Below - 1/23/11
::
Rapid Transit on 2nd Ave - 10/18/10
A New Map - 10/3/10
TBM Probe Breaks Ground - 7/8/10
Inside the Launch Box - 5/14/10
Rats? - 5/2/10
The Cutterhead Arrives - 4/21/10
A Doughnut on 2nd Avenue - 4/20/10
The Main Beam - 4/19/10
The Starter Tunnels - 3/27/10
Blasting on Second Avenue - 3/19/10
Second Avenue: Then & Now - 2/7/10
Out in the Cold - 1/29/10
::
Return of The Gates - 12/6/09
Construction in the 1970s - 9/21/09
Retroreflectors Everywhere - 7/16/09
South Ferry Station - 4/25/09
::
Working at Night - 11/14/08
A Big Hole - 10/18/08
Looking Through the Fence - 4/20/08
A View From Above - 4/13/09
An Accident - 3/29/08
::
The First Posting - 4/14/07
::
Businesses that have Closed
Notices & Posters
Bagel Express

BLOG ARCHIVE

▼ 2025 (1)
- ▼ November (1)
  - New Second Avenue Subway Book

► 2017 (1)
- ► January (1)

► 2016 (6)
- ► December (4)
- ► November (1)
- ► October (1)

► 2015 (5)
- ► October (1)
- ► June (1)
- ► May (1)
- ► April (1)
- ► February (1)

► 2014 (11)
- ► October (1)
- ► September (2)
- ► August (1)
- ► June (1)
- ► May (2)
- ► April (2)
- ► February (1)
- ► January (1)

► 2013 (8)
- ► November (2)
- ► September (2)
- ► June (1)
- ► April (1)
- ► March (1)
- ► January (1)

► 2012 (19)
- ► December (1)
- ► November (1)
- ► October (1)
- ► August (3)
- ► June (1)
- ► May (2)
- ► April (2)
- ► March (5)
- ► February (1)
- ► January (2)

► 2011 (29)
- ► December (2)
- ► November (3)
- ► October (3)
- ► September (4)
- ► August (1)
- ► July (2)
- ► June (1)
- ► May (2)
- ► April (2)
- ► March (3)
- ► February (2)
- ► January (4)

► 2010 (43)
- ► December (2)
- ► November (2)
- ► October (4)
- ► September (3)
- ► August (4)
- ► July (2)
- ► June (3)
- ► May (6)
- ► April (7)
- ► March (4)
- ► February (2)
- ► January (4)

► 2009 (27)
- ► December (3)
- ► November (1)
- ► October (3)
- ► September (4)
- ► August (1)
- ► July (5)
- ► June (3)
- ► May (1)
- ► April (3)
- ► March (1)
- ► February (1)
- ► January (1)

► 2008 (32)
- ► December (1)
- ► November (2)
- ► October (2)
- ► September (1)
- ► August (2)
- ► July (2)
- ► June (7)
- ► May (2)
- ► April (4)
- ► March (4)
- ► February (4)
- ► January (1)

► 2007 (29)
- ► December (1)
- ► November (2)
- ► October (2)
- ► September (5)
- ► August (2)
- ► July (2)
- ► June (2)
- ► May (2)
- ► April (3)
- ► January (8)

SAS TUNNEL BORING MACHINE
FINAL STATS

TBM Run No. 1 (west tunnel)
Start: just south of 92nd Street
End: 65th Street
7,162 linear feet mined with TBM
Run completed 2/5/2011

TBM Run No. 2 (east tunnel)
Start: just south of 92nd Street
End: Lexington Av / 63rd St Station
7,789 linear feet mined with TBM
Run completed 9/22/2011

COMMUNITY BOARD 8
SECOND AVENUE SUBWAY
TASK FORCE

CB8 SAS Task Force
web page

Links to the Latest Presentations to
the CB8 SAS Task Force:

MTA Project Update
November 2016

MTA on-line archives with older presentations to CB8

COMMUNITY SITES

Second Avenue Shopper (archived)
SAS Concerned Citizens Group

REFERENCE INFORMATION

Second Avenue Subway - Wikipedia
Second Avenue Subway - New York Transit Museum (archived)
Timeline: The Second Avenue Line – "The Greatest Subway New York Never Built" - Thirteen/WNET
::
Air and Noise Laws - NYC DEP
Blasting Regulations - NYC Fire Code
Underground Construction Regs. - OSHA

REPORTS

MTA SAS Quarterly Report - 2Q2016
MTA SAS Quarterly Report - 1Q2016
::
A Longer Listing of Reports

HISTORICAL INFORMATION

2nd Ave Subway Construction in the 1970s
100 Years Ago on 2nd Ave
Second Avenue: Then & Now
Second Avenue Subway - NYCsubway.org
"The 2nd Avenue El" - NYCsubway.org
"Fallen Transit: The Loss of Rapid Transit on New York's Second Avenue" - The Third Rail
Video: The 51st State [Episode 24] Transportation in New York: "The Saga of the 2nd Avenue Subway" (8:00) Thirteen/WNET - 1975

GLOSSARY

Bentonite slurry
Blog
Controlled Blasting
Cut-and-cover tunnelling
Deep foundation
I-beam
Muck
Rebar
Retroreflector
Sandhog
Secant wall
Slurry wall
Tunnel boring machine (TBM)
-- The MTA's official list

ABBREVIATIONS

CB8 - Community Board 8 (Manhattan)
DEP - Dept. of Environmental Protection
DOB - Department of Buildings
FDNY - New York City Fire Department
FTA - Federal Transit Administration
MTACC - MTA Capital Construction
NYC - New York City
NYPD - New York City Police Dept.
SABA - Second Ave. Business Assn.
SAS - Second Avenue subway
TBM - Tunnel Boring Machine

TRANSLATIONS OF THIS BLOG

Este blog en español
Ce blog sur le français
Dieser Blog auf Deutsch

A FEW FOOTNOTES

Please note that comments left on this blog are moderated. Comments will be posted so long as they are relevant and do not include advertising.

Images posted were taken on the date of the posting, unless otherwise noted.

My camera:
A Canon PowerShot G11 set to take large format (3648 x 2736 pixel) JPG images.

Left-click on any image to view it in full size.

A final note --
All of my street-level photographs were taken from behind the posted barriers and fences. (i.e. they were taken while I was standing on a public sidewalk or street.)

Even so, I've been stopped and questioned four times, once by the NYPD and three times by on-site construction personnel, while taking pictures of the work site.

Those readers who are interested in the rights of a photographer in such a situation should follow the links shown below.

RIGHTS AND REMEDIES
WHEN STOPPED
FOR TAKING PICTURES

NYPD Operations Order 14
"The Photographer's Right"
Legal Handbook for Photographers: The Rights and Liabilities of Making Images
::
"A Depot and a Fight to Photograph the City" -
The New York Times - 2/7/12
"A Snapshot Of Our Times" -
George F. Will - 1/18/12
"Picture This, and Risk Arrest" -
The New York Times - 7/27/10

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