Photo by Avi Smolen
We’ve been following the construction along the Second Avenue Subway for some time now. We went deep into the Lexington Avenue/63rd Street stop, checked out the “Lex 63” lettering on the tiles of the station, and watched a video of a test train heading down the tracks.
The saga now continues with the addition of new signs at 63rd Street. The above photo, sent to us by an Untapped reader, shows an Uptown bound sign for the Q Train that states: “To 96 Street via 2nd Avenue all times.”
Expansion of the existing station at 63rd and Lexington in May 2015
When we last checked in on May of 2015, the $4.45 billion project was 82% complete, and on track to open the first phase by December 2016. Last week, Governor Andrew Cuomo also announced on Twitter that he was “cautiously optimistic” about making the Jan. 1st deadline.
Despite rising doubts, the MTA is seemingly sticking to its promise – but only barely doing so. According to the latest updates, the Second Avenue Subway is set to open on New Year’s Eve, which means we can all ring in the New Year celebrating the long-awaited launch.
Newly installed tracks along the tunnels between 63rd and 72nd street stations
The MTA was able to compress the testing schedule in order to meet the deadline. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chair and CEO Tom Prendergast stated that there will be no partial opening of the line. Commuters should be able to utilize all stations, entrances and elevators.
Next, check out our behind the scenes construction photographs from last year in the Second Avenue Subway. Read about the Top 10 Secrets of the NYC Subway.
