The Champagne is chilled for a New Year’s Second Avenue subway opening, but worries over Phase II are bubbling before the corks pop.
Few doubt the importance of the Upper East Side’s new line; its benefits, to be reaped from day one through the next century, are incalculable. And just as few are likely to remember decades from now that the project’s Phase I cost nearly $4.5 billion.
But some experts believe that the comparatively high price of subway construction in New York City could, in the short term, hinder further necessary expansion needed to support its growth. The groundbreaking for Second Avenue’s next phase — to bring the Q train to 125th Street — is several years away, without much funding secured.
Read the complete article at http://www.amny.com/transit/second-avenue-subway-cost-concerns-transit-experts-1.12792664