MTA plans transformation of East Harlem through 2nd Avenue subway extension

New renderings released by the MTA on Wednesday shine a light on plans for a major overhaul of East Harlem through the extension of the Second Avenue subway.

The images depict a large, sunlit station on East 125th Street between Park and Lexington avenues, which will house a new terminal for the Q line as well as connections to the 4, 5 and 6 lines.

It’s a major transformation, and the station looks similar to the existing three Second Avenue subway stops on the Upper East Side.

But the extension of the line into East Harlem will require the MTA to seize properties through eminent domain. It will also bring years of construction disruptions to the neighborhood, a fact that has some local residents and workers wary.

“I think it looks good. Whether or not it'll improve the neighborhood, for who?” said Robert Taylor III, who works for the harm reduction center OnPoint NYC located near the planned site of the new East 125th Street station. “You can make the neighborhood look as good as you want to, but you got to work on improving the people.”

The station at East 125th Street will be located next to the neighborhood's Metro-North station. The extension includes another two stops along Second Avenue at East 106th and East 116th streets.

The MTA plans to tunnel underground to build the bulk of the extension. But contract documents show the agency plans a "cut and cover" construction method for the East 106th Street stop, which requires crews to dig up the street in order to build the station.

Kathleen Brown, 26, who lives in East Harlem, said she feared the construction of the subway will cause problems for the neighborhood.

“It’s just going to be more traffic up here, it's already crazy as hell,” said Brown. “I like how it’s going to look. It’s a good idea that people are going to be able to travel outside of the 4, 5 and 6 from Harlem.”

Sanford McLeod, who sells books at a table on East 125th Street, said he worried about being displaced by years of construction.

“You can't close down the place for how long, 10 years, 20 years, 50 years,” he said. “Construction? Who get the money? Not me.”

The MTA expects the construction will take eight years.

Jamie Torres-Springer, the MTA’s president of construction and development, said the “the actual timeline will be determined after bids are received from design-build companies that include commitments for both cost and duration.”

The extension — which includes 1.5 miles of track — will run north from East 96th Street and Second Avenue, then around a curve to East 125th Street and Lexington Avenue.

The MTA pegs the cost of the construction at $6.9 billion. The Federal Transit Administration— which is funding part of the project — estimates it will run up to $7.7 billion, a price tag MTA officials said includes “contingency costs.”

Now that the federal government has signed off on congestion pricing, the MTA plans to use some of the revenues from the new tolls on the Second Avenue subway extension. On Wednesday, the MTA said it is now seeking bids on the project.

The agency hopes to award a contract for the work by the fall, with construction starting before the end of the year.