History of The New York City Subway - Reconstruction and Incremental Advance

Reconstruction and Incremental Advance

The Archer Avenue Line was built in the 1980s, putting the east end of the BMT Jamaica Line underground. The BMT and IND 63rd Street Lines were completed in 1989, with the connection to the IND Queens Boulevard Line opening on December 16, 2001.

Around 2002, talk began to circulate about taking up the construction of the Second Avenue Subway. Most New Yorkers regarded these plans with cynicism, since citizens were promised the line since well before the Third Avenue elevated was torn down in 1955. Funds have been set aside and environmental impact reports have been completed. A ceremonial Ground-breaking for the subway was held on April 12, 2007 and contractor work to prepare the project's initial construction site at 96th Street and Second Avenue began on April 23, 2007.

On September 20, 2011, the Tunnel Boring Machine project of the Second Avenue Subway reached the BMT 63rd Street Line. The first segment, between 63rd Street and 96th Street, is scheduled to be completed in 2016. The rest of the line will be built in four phases and run as far north as 125th Street in Harlem and Hanover Square in Lower Manhattan.