Second Avenue Subway Extension To E. Harlem Gains Key Approval

EAST HARLEM, NY — The Metropolitan Transit Authority's plan to extend the new Second Avenue Subway line up to East Harlem received a key approval this month, transit officials announced.

The Federal Transit Administration issued a "Finding of No Significant Impact" for an updated Environmental Impact Statement for Phase 2 of the Second Avenue Subway — which will extend the Q train from East 96th Street to East 125th Street with new stations at East 106th, 116th, and 125th streets,

The issuance of a "FONSI" will allow the MTA to begin securing federal funding for the project, transit officials announced. The FONSI was needed after the MTA updated its original Environmental Impact Statement from 2004.

"This is an important milestone that puts us a step closer to providing a long-overdue subway to serve the people of East Harlem," MTA Chief Development Officer Janno Lieber said in a statement. "With the environmental approval in place, we can move into a new phase in the effort to secure Federal funding for this important project. It’s urgent to build Second Avenue Subway Phase 2 so East Harlem can begin to receive the same benefits Phase 1 has delivered for the Upper East Side."

The ruling means that federal officials believe changes made to the project do not pose an "additional significant adverse impact on the environment" for the areas in East Harlem that will undergo construction. Earlier this year, MTA officials informed East Harlem residents and businesses on how construction will affect their daily lives.

The MTA estimates areas near the new stations on East 106th, 116th, and 125th streets will experience worse traffic, bus stop relocation, loud noise and dust emissions in the air near the work sites. Some residents and businesses may also be displaced if the MTA needs to acquire additional properties within construction zones.

The entire project is expected to take nine years to complete, the MTA said. Documents from the MTA and Federal Transit Administration target 2029 for completion on the line's second phase , the Daily News first reported. The MTA will need to begin construction by mid-2019 to make a 2029 opening possible, according to the report.

The Second Avenue Subway's first phase was completed on New Year's Day of 2017. The project re-routed the Q line up Second Avenue with new stops at East 63rd Street, East 72nd Street, East 86th Street and East 96th Street. Phase two extends the new Q line up to East 125th Street where it will connect with the Metro North Railroad and could be extended into the Bronx. Phases three and four will extend the line downtown to Hanover Square in the Financial District.

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