June 2026
Groundbreaking ceremony starts construction for Second Avenue Subway Phase II Project
New York, NY – Walsh Construction joined New York Governor Kathy Hochul, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, elected officials, Harlem community leaders and joint venture partners Skanska and Traylor Bros. to celebrate the groundbreaking for the major construction stage of the Second Avenue Subway Phase II project.
Photo credit: Governor’s Office
The milestone marks the beginning of construction on the long-awaited expansion of Q line service into East Harlem. Phase II will extend service north from 96th Street to 125th Street, creating new stations at 106th Street and 116th Street on Second Avenue, along with a terminal station at 125th Street and Lexington Avenue. The 125th Street station will provide connections to the 4/5/6 subway lines and Metro-North Railroad.
The groundbreaking ceremony took place at the future launch site for the project’s tunnel-boring machine (TBM). In early 2027, the state-of-the-art TBM is expected to be lowered into the ground and begin mining new subway tunnels from 120th Street and 2nd Avenue to 125th Street and Malcolm X Boulevard.
“Today we finally break ground on a dream that was 100 years in the making," remarked Governor Hochul. “If you live in East Harlem, you know what this means for our families. So what are we going to do, we're going to give people time back in their lives and get their jobs faster, get to school faster, get to see family faster. And the Second Avenue Subway will give more time back to you.”
Phot credit: Governor's Office
Photo credit: Governor’s Office
Walsh Construction is part of the Skanska-Traylor-Walsh joint venture that will deliver design-build services for the Phase II project. The $1.02 billion scope includes designing and constructing new subway station structural shells between 105th Street and 110th Street to support the future 106th Street Station. Work also includes structural tie-ins to existing tunnels, support of excavation and earthwork, roadway decking to maintain traffic, at- and below-grade structures for two station entrances, and utility support and reconstruction.