Second Avenue Subway: Officials tour the next phase of the 2nd Avenue Subway project in East Harlem

EAST HARLEM, Manhattan (WABC) — Relief is on the way for tens of thousands of New Yorkers currently living in a transit desert.

Construction on the long-defunct Second Avenue subway line is scheduled to begin Saturday.

The plan is to extend the Q Line from 96th Street to East Harlem and across 125th Street to meet Metro North and the 4, 5 and 6 lines.

It is a project that has been in the works for about 50 years and was put on hold in the 1970s due to budget constraints.

On Saturday, Rep. Adriano Espaillat will host U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in East Harlem to announce the next steps toward completing this second phase.

Just last week, Rep. Espaillat and Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer announced a full funding agreement for the Second Avenue Subway Phase 11 (SAS II) project issued by the Federal Transit Administration.

This $3.4 billion in federal funding will allow the project to extend the Q train from 96th Street to 125th Street in East Harlem.

Speaking to Eyewitness News reporter Josh Einer on Friday, Buttigieg expressed excitement about the project’s progress.

“One thing that’s important about this neighborhood is that it has more people who rely on public transit than perhaps any other part of the city, but less service when it comes to not having access to the subway. “To have a train,” he said. “This is an opportunity to change that.”

The entire project is expected to take eight years to complete.

RELATED | Exclusive look at the next phase of Harlem’s long-dormant 2nd Avenue subway project

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