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). Work on the line never commenced, as the
Great Depression crushed the economy. 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. The Second Avenue Elevated had one station at
72nd Street and Second Avenue—right above the same intersection where the current subway station is located—while the Third Avenue Elevated had two nearby stops on nearby Third Avenue at
67th Street and
76th Street.
Unrealized proposals As part of the
New York City Transit Authority's 1968
Program for Action, the construction of the full-length
Second Avenue Subway was proposed. It was to be built in two phases—the first phase from 126th to 34th Streets, the second phase from 34th to Whitehall Streets. 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.") station was added in October 1970. The stations were to be made with brick walls and
pavers alongside stainless steel, and would have relatively small dimensions, with mezzanine ceilings.
Carson, Lundin & Thorson received a contract for the design of the 72nd Street station. 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. Although work on the 72nd Street station never commenced, three short segments of tunnel in
East Harlem and
Chinatown were built. 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. In 1999, the
Regional Plan Association considered
a full-length Second Avenue Subway, which included 72nd Street as one of its planned 31 stations. The entrances to 72nd Street station were to be located at 70th, 72nd, and 74th Streets. The initial design of the 72nd Street station lasted about eight years, between 1999 and 2007. The line's first phase, the "first major expansion" to the New York City Subway in more than a half-century, included three stations in total (at 72nd, 86th, and 96th Streets), which collectively cost $4.45 to $4.5 billion. Its construction site was designated as being from 105th Street and Second Avenue to 63rd Street and Third Avenue. The MTA awarded a $337 million contract—one that included constructing the tunnels between 92nd and 63rd Streets, building a launch box for the
tunnel boring machine (TBM) at 92nd to 95th Streets, and erecting access shafts at 69th and 72nd Streets—to Schiavone Construction,
Skanska USA Civil, and J.F. Shea Construction. Due to cost increases for construction materials and
diesel fuel affecting the prices of contracts not yet signed, the MTA announced in June 2008 that certain features of the Second Avenue Subway would be simplified to save money. One set of changes, which significantly reduced the footprint of the subway in the vicinity of 72nd Street, was the alteration of the 72nd Street station from a three-track, two-platform design to a two-track, single island platform design, paired with a simplification of the connection to the Broadway Line spur. Supplemental environmental impact studies covering the changes for the 72nd Street station was completed in June 2009. In May 2010, a
tunnel boring machine beginning at 92nd Street started to dig down Second Avenue through the 72nd Street area, to 63rd Street and Lexington Avenue. On October 1, 2010, MTA awarded a $431 million contract to SSK Constructors (a joint venture) for the mining of the tunnels connecting the 72nd Street station to the existing
63rd Street station, and for the excavation and heavy civil structures of the 72nd Street Station. Construction was to be done through two shafts at 69th and 72nd Streets, the locations of the future entrances; shaft sinking work was started in late 2010. Projected completion of the contract was estimated at November 2013. On August 8, 2012, a controlled blast at 72nd Street caused rocks to fly over the station site. Nearly two weeks later, on August 21, 2012, an uncontrolled blast for the Second Avenue Subway station at 72nd Street was done incorrectly, causing a large explosion that sent debris into the air and broke windows of buildings in the area and damaged nearby sidewalks. Cavern drilling was finished in August 2012; however, blasting for the station entrances was not completed until February 28, 2013. Demolition of a muck house, erected in August 2011 By January 2013, almost 96.3% of excavation was completed, with of dirt excavated from the station; waterproofing was also being done in the station and the tunnels south of it. The contract for the station's finishing touches, including the electrical, plumbing, track, and signal systems, as well as entrances and exits, was awarded to Judlau Contracting at a price of $258 million in February 2013. , the mezzanine level of the station was completed and being used to store equipment. In September, the station's size was gauged by
Gothamist to be so large that "55,000 elephants could fit" within the enormous cavern. The station's ancillaries at 72nd and 69th Street were planned to be completed in winter 2014–2015, but the estimated completion date was pushed back to September 2016 and then later to simply the "fall of 2016". , the station was 56% complete, and , the station was 92% complete. The elevators and communication systems still needed to be finished by October 2016, and it was possible that the station's opening could be delayed. With the station being delayed, the possibility of opening the other two stations of the line in December but skipping this station was being considered. On December 14, though, the MTA announced that all of the line's stations would open at the same time. Still, systems testing at this station had not been completed by December 19.
Phase Three Once construction on Phase 2 of the Second Avenue Subway, which will run from 105th Street to the
Harlem–125th Street station at Lexington Avenue, is completed, construction is expected to start on Phase 3, which would extend the Second Avenue Subway south down Second Avenue to Houston Street. The tracks would diverge from the tracks that continue to the BMT 63rd Street Line running south on Second Avenue. There is currently a large provisional cavern, or
bellmouth, for this line. However, no funding has been committed to this phase. After Phase 3, a new
T service will operate from Harlem–125th Street to Houston Street. An additional two-track connection, tracks ST-1 and ST-2, is planned between the line toward Lower Manhattan (around 63rd Street) and the
IND 63rd Street Line toward Queens using existing bellmouths that are at 63rd Street and First Avenue. The connection would allow for trains to run from the Financial District to Queens if the capacity of the IND Queens Boulevard Line was increased, or if the
Queens Super-Express Bypass was built. ==Station layout==