106th Street station (Second Avenue Subway)

106th Street is a planned station along the IND Second Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. It would be located at the intersection of Second Avenue and 106th Street in East Harlem, Manhattan, United States. Proposed since 1968, the station is expected to be built as part of Phase 2 of the Second Avenue Subway. When opened, it will initially be served by the Q train, with the T train providing service when Phase 3 of the line is built.

106 Street
Future New York City Subway station
Planned station site
Station statistics
Address	East 106th Street & Second Avenue New York, NY 10029
Borough	Manhattan
Locale	East Harlem
Coordinates	40°47′26″N 73°56′33″W / 40.7906°N 73.9425°W / 40.7906; -73.9425
Division	B (IND)^[1]
Line	IND Second Avenue Line
Services	Future
Structure	Underground
Platforms	1 island platform (planned)
Tracks	2 (planned)
Station succession
Next north	116th Street: future
Next south	96th Street: future
Location Show map of New York City Subway Show map of New York City Show map of New York
Street map
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops in station at all times Stops all times except late nights Stops late nights only Stops late nights and weekends only Stops weekdays during the day Stops weekends during the day Stops all times except rush hours in the peak direction Stops all times except weekdays in the peak direction Stops all times except nights and rush hours in the peak direction Stops rush hours only Stops rush hours in the peak direction only Station is closed (Details about time periods)

History

Background

The Second Avenue Line was originally proposed in 1919 as part of a massive expansion of what would become the Independent Subway System (IND).^{[2][3]: 203} Work on the line never commenced, as the Great Depression crushed the economy.^[4] Numerous plans for the Second Avenue Subway appeared throughout the 20th century, but these were usually deferred due to lack of funds. In anticipation of the never-built new subway line, the Second and Third Avenue elevated lines were demolished in 1942 and 1955, respectively.^[5][6] The Second Avenue Elevated had a station at 105th Street,^[7] and the Third Avenue Elevated had a stop on nearby Third Avenue at 106th Street.^[8]

Unrealized proposals

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority proposed a full-length Second Avenue Subway as part of its 1968 Program for Action. The line was to be built in two phases—the first phase from 126th to 34th Streets, the second phase from 34th to Whitehall Streets.^[9][10] The line's planned stops in Manhattan, spaced farther apart than those on existing subway lines, proved controversial; the Second Avenue line was criticized as a "rich man's express, circumventing the Lower East Side with its complexes of high-rise low- and middle-income housing and slums in favor of a silk stocking route."^[3]: 218 There was to be a station at 106th Street, but the next station north would be at 125th Street^[3]: 218 and the next station south would be at 86th Street.^[11] In a planning report, a possible 106th Street station had already been confirmed.^[12]

All Second Avenue Subway stations built under the Program for Action would have included escalators, high intensity lighting, improved audio systems, platform edge strips, and non-slip floors to accommodate the needs of the elderly and people with disabilities, but no elevators. Space at each station would have been used for ancillary facilities.^[13] The stations were to be made with brick walls and pavers alongside stainless steel, and would have relatively small dimensions, with 10-foot (3.0 m) mezzanine ceilings. Johnson & Hanchard received a contract for the design of the 106th Street station.^[14]: 110

A combination of Federal and State funding was obtained, and despite the controversy over the number of stops and route, a groundbreaking ceremony was held on October 27, 1972, at Second Avenue and 103rd Street.^[11][15][16] Construction began shortly thereafter on what was to be the 99th–105th Streets segment, which was projected to cost $17.48 million (worth about $122,290,000 today).^[17] However, the city soon experienced its most dire fiscal crisis yet, due to the stagnant economy of the early 1970s, combined with the massive outflow of city residents to the suburbs, and in September 1975, construction on the line stopped, and the tunnels were sealed.^[16][18] Over the next few decades, the MTA regularly inspected and maintained the tunnel segments (spending $20,000 a year by the early 1990s), to maintain the structural integrity of the streets above, and in case construction would ever resume. Trespassers would often camp in the tunnels until the MTA increased security.^[19]

In 1999, the Regional Plan Association recommended building a full-length Second Avenue Subway, which would include 106th Street as one of its planned 31 stations. The station would serve southern East Harlem.^[20]

Current construction

In March 2007, the Second Avenue Subway was revived.^[21] The line's first phase, the "first major expansion" to the New York City Subway in more than a half-century,^[22] included three stations in total and cost $4.45 to $4.5 billion,^[23][24] spanning from 105th Street and Second Avenue to 63rd Street and Third Avenue.^[25] Phase 1 opened on January 1, 2017, with the line's northern terminal at 96th Street.^[26][27]

The second phase, between 125th and 96th Streets, was allocated $525 million in the MTA's 2015–2019 Capital Plan for planning, design, environmental studies, and utility relocation.^[28][29] This phase will complete the project's East Harlem section. The alignment will run under Second Avenue to 124th Street,^[30] before turning west on 125th Street.^[31] On October 18, 2016, the de Blasio administration announced a rezoning plan for East Harlem.^[32] One of the three Special Transit Land Use (TA) districts is for the area of the 106th Street station.^[33]

On November 21, 2016, the MTA requested that the Phase 2 project be entered into the Project Development phase under the Federal Transit Administration's New Starts program.^[34] On December 15, several elected officials for the area announced that they were seeking $6 billion of funding for Phase 2 of the line, including $2 billion from the federal government.^[35] These officials wished to secure funding from the presidential administration of Barack Obama before Obama's term ended on January 20, 2017. In their request for funding, they cited that they wanted to avoid an uncertain response from the administration of Donald Trump and start construction on Phase 2 as soon as possible.^[35] The FTA granted this request in late December 2016.^[36] Under the approved plan, the MTA would complete an environmental reevaluation by 2018, receive funding by 2020, and open Phase 2 between 2027 and 2029.^[37] In January 2017, it was announced that Phases 2 and 3, which are expected to cost up to a combined $14.2 billion, were on the Trump administration's priority list of 50 most important transportation projects nationwide.^[38][39]

In July 2018, the MTA released a supplemental environmental assessment for Phase 2 of the Second Avenue Subway. The updated report indicated that the 106th Street station would be relocated about 5 to 6 feet (1.5 to 1.8 m) east and 50 feet (15 m) south compared to what had been proposed in the 2004 FEIS, in order to circumvent existing infrastructure under Second Avenue. Because the station is located below the surface, there would be less space to build utility rooms underground compared to deep-level Phase 1 stations, and so the ancillary facilities would be larger than in the Phase 1 stations.^[40]: 11 Both ancillaries had to be relocated, since the locations outlined in the 2004 FEIS were no longer feasible for demolition.^{[40]: 19–20} The entrances were also enlarged for easier access from Second Avenue, and an entrance at 108th Street and Second Avenue was relocated from the southeast corner to the northeast.^{[40]: Figure 2-1A} Under the new plan, the station would also include extra elevators in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Whereas Phase 1 stations only included elevators at one entrance, the 106th and 116th Street stations would both include elevators at two entrances.^[40]: 18

Current plans

Track maps on the MTA's website show that 106th Street will have two tracks and one island platform.^[41] The station would be approximately 52 feet (16 m) deep.^[42] Under current plans, there are to be two exits. One exit would be at the northeast corner of 106th Street and Second Avenue; the other would be at the northeast corner of 108th Street and Second Avenue.^{[40]: Figure 2-1A} Under the original plan, two ancillaries would have been present on Second Avenue at the northeast corners of 105th and 108th Streets.^[43] As of July 2018^[update], the ancillary at 105th Street was relocated to the southeast corner of 106th Street, while the ancillary at the northeast corner of 108th Street was relocated to the northwest corner of 109th Street.^{[44][40]: Figure 2-1A}

References

1. "Glossary". (PDF). Vol. 1. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. March 4, 2003. pp. 1–2. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 26, 2021. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
2. "www.nycsubway.org: Second Avenue Subway: The Line That Almost Never Was". nycsubway.org. 1972. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
3. Raskin, Joseph B. (2013). The Routes Not Taken: A Trip Through New York City's Unbuilt Subway System. New York, New York: Fordham University Press. doi:10.5422/fordham/9780823253692.001.0001. ISBN 978-0-82325-369-2.
4. "IND Second System 1929 Plan". nycsubway.org. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
5. . mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. October 19, 2002. Archived from the original on October 19, 2002. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
6. Katz, Ralph (May 13, 1955). "Last Train Rumbles On Third Ave. 'El'; An Era Ends With Final Run of Third Avenue 'El'" (PDF). The New York Times. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
7. See:
   • "2nd Avenue El". nycsubway.org. from the original on January 27, 2009. Retrieved January 25, 2009.
   • . Station Reporter. Archived from the original on January 30, 2009. Retrieved January 25, 2009.
8. See:
   • "3rd Avenue El". nycsubway.org. from the original on January 27, 2009. Retrieved January 25, 2009.
   • . Station Reporter. Archived from the original on June 9, 2010. Retrieved January 25, 2009.
9. "The New York Transit Authority in the 1970s". nycsubway.org. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
10. "Draft Environmental Statement, Second Avenue Subway, Route 132-A". Urban Mass Transportation Administration. nycsubway.org. August 1971. Retrieved May 22, 2014.
11. Second Avenue Subway Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS), May 2004 Appendix B Development of Alternatives (PDF) (Report). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. May 2004. (PDF) from the original on November 22, 2016. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
12. Moran, Nancy (August 28, 1970). "2d Avenue Subway to Get Just 3 Stops North of 57th". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 25, 2016 – via New York Times Archives.
13. "Notice of Public Hearing Southern Extension of the Second Avenue Line for the New York City Transit System". New York Daily News. February 16, 1973. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
14. Stern, Robert A. M.; Mellins, Thomas; Fishman, David (1995). New York 1960: Architecture and Urbanism Between the Second World War and the Bicentennial. New York: Monacelli Press. ISBN 1-885254-02-4. OCLC 32159240. OL 1130718M.
15. "Second Avenue Subway: Timeline". nycsubway.org. Retrieved April 7, 2014.
16. . mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Archived from the original on April 8, 2014. Retrieved April 7, 2014.
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18. Burks, Edward C. (September 26, 1975). "Work is Stopped on Subway Line; City Lacks Funds to Finish Part of 2d Ave. Project". The New York Times. p. 41. from the original on July 27, 2018. Retrieved October 4, 2015.
19. Finder, Alan (April 19, 1994). "A Tunnel Waiting Two Decades for a Train; Shafts for the Second Avenue Subway Are Maintained, in Case the Line Is Ever Built". The New York Times. p. B1. from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved October 4, 2015.
20. (PDF) (Report). January 1999. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 2, 2010.
21. Neuman, William (April 9, 2007). "Is That Finally the Sound of a 2nd Ave. Subway?". The New York Times. from the original on May 5, 2011. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
22. . am New York. December 18, 2015. Archived from the original on October 27, 2016. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
23. * Putzier, Konrad (May 14, 2014). "Light at end of tunnel for Second Ave. subway". Real Estate Weekly. from the original on September 7, 2017. Retrieved June 5, 2014.
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27. Fitzsimmons, Emma G.; Palmer, Emily; Remnick, Noah; Slotnik, Daniel E.; Wolfe, Jonathan (January 1, 2017). "Highlights From the Opening of the Second Avenue Subway". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. from the original on January 1, 2017. Retrieved January 1, 2017.
28. Fitzsimmons, Emma G. (October 29, 2015). "Anger in East Harlem Over New Delays in 2nd Ave. Subway Plans". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. from the original on November 3, 2015. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
29. (PDF) (Report). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. October 28, 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 17, 2015. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
30. "Second Avenue Subway 2004 FEIS Figure F-1 125th Street Station Study Area for Potential Easements or Acquisitions" (PDF). mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2004. (PDF) from the original on November 22, 2016. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
31. (PDF). mta.info (Report). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. May 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 10, 2016. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
32. Baird-Remba, Rebecca (October 18, 2016). "Initial East Harlem Rezoning Plan Promises 30-Story Towers and Less Parking - New York YIMBY". New York YIMBY. from the original on October 22, 2016. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
33. "East Harlem Neighborhood Study - Draft Planning Framework" (PDF). www1.nyc.gov. NYC Planning - DCP Manhattan Office. October 18, 2016. (PDF) from the original on October 23, 2016. Retrieved October 22, 2016.
34. Garliauskas, Lucy (December 23, 2016). "Re: Project Development Initiation – Second Avenue Subway Phase 2" (PDF). maloney.house.gov. Federal Transit Administration. (PDF) from the original on January 12, 2017. Retrieved December 24, 2016.
35. Barone, Vincent (December 15, 2016). "Officials look to secure federal funds for 2nd Ave. subway". amNY. from the original on December 16, 2016. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
36. Krisel, Brendan (December 23, 2016). "Phase 2 of 2nd Avenue Subway Clears Preliminary Funding Hurdle". Harlem, NY Patch. from the original on December 25, 2016. Retrieved January 4, 2017.
37. "New York City 2nd Ave Subway Phase 2 Profile" (PDF). FTA. December 27, 2016. (PDF) from the original on June 15, 2017. Retrieved January 4, 2017.
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39. Fox, Alison (January 26, 2017). "Second Avenue subway a priority for Trump, Rep. Maloney says". am New York. from the original on January 26, 2017. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
40. (PDF) (Report). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. July 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 13, 2018. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
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42. "Second Avenue Subway Update to Community Board 11" (PDF). mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. April 5, 2016. (PDF) from the original on March 16, 2017. Retrieved January 4, 2017.
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44. "Second Avenue Subway Phase 2" (PDF). 125thstreet.nyc. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. April 2018. (PDF) from the original on June 20, 2018. Retrieved June 20, 2018.