Overview

• Connect Plus Partners, a joint venture of Halmar International and FCC Construction, won the $1.97 billion design-build to bore new tunnels to 125th Street, excavate the station space, and rehabilitate a 1970s-built segment.
• Early street work starts later this year, heavy construction begins in 2026, and tunnel boring is slated for 2027, with service targeted around 2032.
• The 1.5-mile extension adds ADA-accessible stations at 106th, 116th and 125th streets with a transfer to the 4/5/6 and Metro-North, serving an estimated 100,000 to 110,000 daily riders.
• The roughly $7.7 billion phase is backed partly by congestion-pricing revenue alongside federal and MTA capital, with cost controls including reuse of a 1970s tunnel, design-build incentives and penalties, and smaller TBM crews that cut labor costs.
• Property acquisitions under eminent domain have begun, displacing residents and businesses, while the MTA projects about 70,000 jobs and targets 20% local hires in East Harlem.