2nd Avenue Subway Work Set To Start
A: Things have progressed very quickly on the 2nd Avenue Subway project as word I'm hearing from a contractor who owns the residents at the Astor Terrace building and Rainbow shop employees is that work is set to start within 1-3 months!
I've got calls into the MTA to confirm the beginning of construction work on 2nd avenue near 96th street, but if this rumor is true, then the whole deal is happening much faster than expected.
Word From Alex the Contractor is:
"I'm hearing from both clients and building contacts, whom frequent city meetings about the project, that construction work up near 96th street is expected to begin in February".
Word From a Rainbow Shop Employee on 94th & 2nd Avenue is:
"We were told construction work might begin as early as December, but more likely in January or February. We are preparing to be kicked out but hopefully the subway work could occur around our store allowing us to stay for a while longer".The MTA website shows the following update:
Construction Contract One will include the construction of the tunnels between 92nd and 63rd Streets, for the construction of the launch box for the tunnel boring machine (TBM) at 92nd to 95th Streets, and construction of access shafts at 69th and 72nd Streets. It is expected that the first surface work for Contract One will take place in the first quarter of 2007 in the vicinity of the launch box, 91st to 95th Street. Contract One is expected to be 39 months in duration.Here are some details of the 2nd Avenue Subway project as I reported back in April, along with pictures and renderings of future stations and the construction process.
Here is a conceptual drawing of Phase 1:
In case you missed the Discovery Channel on how Tunnels are built, they will be using a boring machine that looks something like this and will use the streets as entry points 1 section at a time....
According to Wikipedia: Tunnel boring machines are used as an alternative to drilling and blasting (D&B) methods. A TBM has the advantages of not disturbing surrounding soil and producing a smooth tunnel wall. This significantly reduces the cost of lining the tunnel, and makes them suitable to use in built-up areas. The key disadvantage is cost. TBMs are expensive to construct, difficult to transport and require significant infrastructure.
A conceptual drawing of the boring process:
What To Expect During Build: Streets to be completely demolished during the boring process and tunnel build. Local businesses on 2nd Avenue will have a rough time and will most likely go out of business temporarily with some type of city support program kicking into effect. A few years of loud noises, construction barriers, air pollution, and big time machines.
What To Expect Upon Subway Completion: A spike in real estate values for properties surrounding this brand new, technologically superior subway line to ease congestion on NYC's eastside. Buying a property that is discounted because it is too far East right now is probably a very wise idea when the subway construction begins; York Avenue & East End Avenue are my sleeper picks for 6-8 years down the road when subway is complete.
