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MTA Approves $2 Billion Tunnel Boring Contract to Extend Q Line to 125th Street

Preliminary construction is slated to begin in 2025 with full tunnel boring planned for 2027 under the largest tunneling contract in MTA history.

It's full speed ahead for the new Second Avenue subway in East Harlem.
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Overview

  • Connect Plus Partners, a joint venture of Halmar International and FCC Construction, secured a roughly $2 billion contract to excavate twin tunnels from 96th to 125th Street.
  • Phase 2 includes three new ADA-accessible stations at 106th, 116th and 125th streets, the latter providing a direct link to the Lexington Avenue lines and a transfer entrance at Park Avenue for Metro-North.
  • The MTA will reuse a tunnel segment built in the 1970s to reach 116th Street, aiming to trim about $500 million from the Phase 2 budget, which is pegged at approximately $1.9 billion.
  • Funding for the expansion remains contingent on congestion-pricing revenues and matching federal grants that require local commitments.
  • The MTA estimates Phase 2 will generate about 70,000 jobs and has set a goal of 20 percent local hires from East Harlem.