New York is pushing ahead with one of its biggest transit expansions. Governor Kathy Hochul is announcing the next phase of construction on the Second Avenue subway, marking a new step for a project that has been built out in stages over many years.
The new phase has a clear route. The work will extend the Q line from 96th Street up to 125th Street in East Harlem, carrying the line deeper into a part of Manhattan that has long been promised better subway access.
The expansion comes after a fight over funding. In April, the Trump administration agreed to stop holding back 58 million dollars for the expansion, a step that came after the MTA sued to release the funds.
Hochul framed the extension as a major benefit for riders. She said the project would be a game changer for daily commuters, helping people save upwards of 20 minutes one way on their trips, which she described as a gift to people.
The governor also spoke about her own stake in seeing it through. She said that when the wall comes down and the work is done, she would be the governor who got it done, adding that she would not stop until the project was complete and the region opened up to more opportunities.
The timeline stretches several years into the future. The project is expected to be completed by 2032, meaning commuters will wait some time before the extended service into East Harlem is fully running.
The cost of the work is substantial. The project carries a price tag of about 7 billion dollars, and about half of that money is expected to come from the federal government, underlining how much the expansion depends on support beyond the state.