The next phase of the Second Ave. subway won’t be done until 2029

Second Avenue Subway station at 96th Street. Photo: Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin

Second Avenue Subway station at 96th Street. Photo: Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and MTA Chairman and CEO Thomas F. Prendergast rode the first train to operate in regular service on the Second Avenue Subway on January 1, 2017. Photo: Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin

Second Avenue Subway 72nd Street, Perfect Strangers Glass mosaic and laminated glass, fabricated by Franz Mayer of Munich. Photo:Metropolitan Transportation Authority

First riders aboard the Second Avenue Subway on January 1, 2017. Photo: Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin

(NEW YORK, NY) – It took eight years to finish the first phase of the Second Ave. subway, and now it’s time for phase two. According to the Daily News, the extension of the Q line to 125th Street is set to be completed in 2029.

The project will begin in mid-2019. MTA officials are aiming to send trains through the tunnels by 2027, and remove all construction equipment by 2029.

After spending $5.5 billion on the first phase of the project, MTA board members are coming up with ways to bring down the costs of the second phase. This could include using a single contractor to design and build the project which will cut costs on customized designs. However, early estimates predict the phase could cost $6 billion to complete.

Design work for the project has begun and is set to be finished by the fall. Contracts for tunneling and building the structures will be awarded in early 2019, and the MTA will hopefully obtain a full funding deal with the federal government by the end of 2020.

BONUS | The Second Avenue Subway Explained