2nd Ave. Subway Construction Updates
Sam Schwartz Engineering recently released a schedule for Second Avenue subway construction through April 19.
Work on the 96th Street Station will span East 95th to 100th streets. Workers will install a Con Edison duct bank and a manhole at East 99th Street, and restore sections of pavement and sidewalk. Between East 97th and 99th streets, projects include the installation of a 12-inch water main, backfilling a sewer trench and excavating a storm drain and a 30-inch gas main. Read more
Dirty Air Culprit: Old Boilers
When a report from the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene detailed street-level pollutants in the five boroughs, the Upper East Side was found to be—somewhat surprisingly—one of the dirtiest neighborhoods.
Traffic in the area, which is home to the 59th Street Bridge, the RFK Bridge and the FDR Drive, certainly affects air quality. But the survey found that oil-burning furnaces are big pollution contributors, and these furnaces are often found in the decades-old tenement style buildings and prewar apartments that populate the neighborhood. These buildings burn a heavier grade of oil that produces a large chunk of the city’s pollution. Read more
Subway Sickness?
Diane Miller-Chapman, 44, has always had asthma. In the past two years, though, she thinks it’s gotten worse. Lately, she has had to sit during her six-block walk to work because the wheezing and chest tightness are almost unbearable. She blames Second Avenue subway construction.
The construction is safe, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and contractor Skanska Construction Company, and the area is free from any harmful materials or chemicals that could cause illness to neighbors. Read more
SLICE OF THE 2nd AVE. DELI
The Second Avenue Deli, an East Village legend, is expanding into the Upper East Side. But don’t look for it on Second Avenue.
The famous deli will open its new location on First Avenue and East 75th Street next year. After the owners were forced out of their long-time location at Second Avenue and East 10th Street in 2007, the famous kosher deli reopened on Third Avenue and East 33rd Street, keeping the name.
Jeremy Lebewohl, the deli’s owner, says that Upper East Side residents have always patronized the deli. Soon, it will be easier for them to get Jewish delicacies closer to home.
“After hearing for so long so many customers saying how they make the trip downtown for us, why not see if we can make something happen uptown?” Lebewohl said.
The deli is being constructed right now and Lebewohl hopes the grand opening will happen this time next year.
MTA NEEDS BETTER PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Residents and business owners affected by Second Avenue subway construction are exasperated by delayed completion dates, unannounced schedule changes and unexpected damage to buildings.
A report by the Citizens Budget Commission, a fiscal watchdog group, found that the MTA fails to give the public enough information to determine if projects are progressing on schedule. The commission says that several mega-projects, including the new subway line, have stalled and are costing more than expected.
Updates for Second Avenue subway work are compiled every three weeks by a representative from the construction company hired for the project. The estimated cost for the first phase of construction, the report found, has increased by 13 percent.
With the MTA drafting a new five-year plan this year, the group suggested that the authority improve public communication with an efficient system for tracking mega projects.
“The public should know how its money is being used,” the report says. “More information should be assembled centrally, it should be kept in a consistent format with clear milestones for assessing progress, and it should be made publicly available on the MTA’s website.”
The MTA said by the year’s end, there will be an online dashboard to give the public updated information on all capital projects, including the Second Avenue subway.
“For the first time, you’ll be able to search by project type, line or station to find out exactly where construction stands, why the work is necessary and whether it is on budget,” said Aaron Donovan, an MTA spokesperson.
2ND AVE. HALLOWEEN PARTY
The Second Avenue Business Association is holding its second annual Halloween celebration on Sunday, Nov. 1 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., on E. 91st Street between Second and Third avenues. The group hopes to create awareness for the businesses on Second Avenue that have been impacted by construction of the Second Avenue subway.
Awards will be given for best Halloween costume, with the grand prize of two tickets to a Broadway production.
Construction Creeps Downtown
The Subway sandwich shop on the corner of Second Avenue and East 93rd Street employed four people when it opened four years ago. Now there are two.
Eve’s Nail and Spa next door used to staff nine people each day. Now there are five on a good day.
Tae Shin, who manages both stores, sits at one of the tables in his small sandwich shop. Besides Shin and his two employees, the shop is empty. He’s wearing a khaki-colored polo shirt that contrasts with his reddening face. He’s mad. So mad his hands are shaking. He blames the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s construction on Second Avenue for his mounting economic troubles. Read more
2ND AVE. SUBWAY DELAYS
The June evacuation of two buildings encompassed by the Second Avenue subway construction zone will delay some aspects of construction for an indefinite amount of time.
The MTA was set to conduct blasting underneath Second Avenue in the East 90s, with a blast test scheduled for the first week of August. Orange signs were placed in the area to warn residents of the blasting. But the Department of Buildings ordered residents of 1766 and 1768 Second Ave., at East 92nd Street, to evacuate because the buildings had pre-existing structural problems that made construction unsafe.
Now the Department of Buildings, which is working with the building owners on a plan to stabilizing the structures, is demanding that the structures be shored up before permits are given for any blasting, which makes tunnel boring easier.
“When the partial stabilization is completed and accepted by [Department of Buildings], we will move forward with the controlled blasting program,” said Kevin Ortiz, an MTA spokesperson, in a statement.
Ortiz did not respond to follow up questions about the start date for building construction or how long such work will take.
A spokesperson for the Department of Buildings said that the owners are responsible for fixing the buildings and did not have a time frame for completion or a start date.
Neighbors near the East 90s construction area are upset that the MTA has yet to inform residents and business owners of how long getting permits will take.
“The community doesn’t know this project is stuck,” said David Rosenstein, chair of the Friends of Ruppert Park, located on Second Avenue between East 90th and 91st streets. “They haven’t told the public the hold up is because of the decisions about the building.”
Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly identified the chair of the Friends of Ruppert Park. The error has been fixed.
HALLOWEEN PARTY FOR 2ND AVE.
The Second Avenue Business Association is hosting a Halloween block party on Nov. 1 to help ailing businesses affected by subway construction. The group, comprising 38 merchants between East 91st and 96th streets, is throwing the party to raise awareness to the “SOS: Save Our Stores” campaign. The event, which starts at 11 a.m. and ends at 4 p.m., will feature a Halloween parade and costume contest. Activities include a magic show, karate exhibition and face painting, with a food tasting from different Second Avenue businesses for parents.
–Dan Rivoli
SUBWAY CONSTRUCTION ON 72ND
Street-level construction for the Second Avenue subway started on Sept. 29 and will last approximately three months. The work includes the relocation of traffic signals, street lighting and tree removal for shaft areas around East 69th and 72nd streets. Starting in late 2008 through the second half of 2009, excavation for utility relocation will begin, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The work is unrelated to the entrance of the 72nd Street station, said Aaron Donovan, deputy press secretary for the MTA, and is necessary regardless of the outcome of the environmental review for alternate entrance locations.
