The never ending Second Avenue Subway project has announced that famous local artist Chuck Close is going to be making a massive series of permanent mosaics for the subway line's 86th Street station. All in all the mosaics will bring about 1,000 square feet of art to the subway—at a cost of roughly $1 million, according to the MTA's Arts for Transit program. Luckily, the station is supposed to have an elevator—so the famously wheelchair-bound artist can see his work in action. more ›

Hey, Upper East Siders? Don't worry about that 2nd Avenue Subway sickness. Despite reports of high levels of the carcinogen silica found in the ongoing project's tunnels, the MTA assures you that the public was never at risk and that worker's safety masks are doing what they are supposed to. Whew! more ›

Last night we took a tour of the literally awesome cavern underneath 72nd and 2nd Avenue, where workers are toiling to construct what will one day become a station for the Second Avenue subway. This afternoon we'll have photos of just what the heck is going on down there, but here's a video taste of the strange world that lies far beneath Caffe Tosca, CVS, and Manhattan Brick Oven Pizza: more ›

Upper East Siders who enjoy "sleeping" and "resisting the urge to collapse into a weeping ball" may get some relief: the MTA's Capital Construction president told CB8 on Thursday that the blasting of the Second Avenue subway should cease by the end of the year. While those who live around 72nd Street may be able to retire their earplugs by New Year's Eve, the Post reports that blasting work at the site of the new station will begin on 86th street in April, and could last through 2013. They're gonna need more Sinatra. more ›

So, there's good news and there is bad news about the ongoing Second Avenue Subway construction. The good news (for neighbors bothered by the blasting required to dig the tunnel) is that the MTA has decided to halt the blasting until December 5 while they try and figure out how to push less debris into the air. The bad news is that in order to stay close to budget while doing so the MTA had to fire some workers the week before Thanksgiving. "I have a very difficult time with that, knowing what time of year it is," MTA capital construction program executive William Goodrich said at a Community Board 8 meeting last night in which the halt was announced. more ›

The Second Avenue Subway may be taking its sweet time (and may take even longer than expected) but at least it is great for merchandising! According to the MTA's Transit Museum Shops, since the Authority started selling T line gear last March the stuff has been flying off the shelves. The T line, whose color will be teal, is already the tenth most popular (by sales) in the city. more ›

A reader sent us a photograph of a Second Avenue Subway construction worker at 73rd Street and Second Avenue. Reader Mike G said he's "singing Sinatra with a mic and amp" and received "loud applause from the small gathering." Aww, that's a small consolation when area residents and businesses have to listen to this—not to mention deal with noxious smells and dust plumes and hazardous road conditions—racket every day: more ›

Four men were arrested for an escapade down in the Second Avenue subway project. The men—Eric Ruggiero, 25, of Manhattan; Jacob Bloom, 21, of Glen Cove, LI; Braiden O'Sullivan, 21, of Connecticut and William West, 27, of Massachusetts—were arrested in the tunnel with Roman candles and cameras. They said they were down there as part of an "urban explorers" expedition and had brought the fireworks along to illuminate the space for photography (maybe they were looking for street art?). more ›

The family of a 26-year-old Chinese restaurant deliveryman killed by a MTA bus has spoken out about the tragedy. On Friday afternoon, Qi Ming Weng had apparently fallen off his electric bicycle riding on Second Avenue near 96th Street when a MTA express bus rolled over him, crushing his skull. The Post reports that Weng's relatives are blaming it on the Second Avenue subway construction that is taking up lanes. more ›

Earlier in the week, New Jersey's Governor Chris Christie kiboshed the trans-Hudson ARC tunnel, saying the state couldn't afford to pay more than the $600 million they had already put into the project. But what of the billions of dollars of federal money set aside for the project? Well, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand thinks the money would do a lot here in New York, where it could pay for things like the Second Avenue Subway or the East Side Access project. Or at least a few more hot plates for that one building. more ›

In a recent survey of the 225 buildings on 2nd Avenue between 125th Street and 63rd Street, a whopping 51 were found to be too fragile to withstand the 2nd Avenue Subway construction. MTA Capital Construction chief Michael Horodniceanu said most of the weak buildings were in the northern part of the subway route, and rather than force landlords to bring the buildings up to code, the MTA has just said, "fuck it" and is making the repairs themselves. We would gripe about fare hikes going to reckless MTA spending, but frankly, we're OK with anything that gets the 2nd Avenue Subway up and running (relatively) sooner rather than later. more ›

For over three years, a growing number of business owners on the Upper East Side have struggled to stay afloat while the massive 2nd Avenue subway project drives off their customers. The construction zone now covers a 22 block radius, from 90th to 68th Street, and some merchants say their revenues have dropped as much as 70 percent. They blame the dirt, the garbage, the cracked sidewalks, and the ugly chain-linked fences, among other things. "We can't get a delivery, the trucks can't go through. It's a disgrace to leave this kind of mess," one Second Avenue business owner fumed at a rally yesterday. more ›

As Frost (OK, a character in a Frost poem) once said, "Good fences make good neighbors." But we're sure building better sidewalks and making sure you're not blocking entrances to your neighbors' businesses can't hurt. After a number of SNAFUs on the 2nd Avenue Subway project, the MTA is trying to make good with the locals by fixing up the construction path. And like the disillusioned, battered wife to the 2nd Avenue Subway's drunken husband, we find ourselves willing to hope once more that this time things will be different. more ›

Who likes dinner cooked on a hot plate? That's what residents of the George Washington houses are going to be eating for the next two months, as crews working on the 2nd Avenue subway mistakenly shut off the gas instead of water. MTA Chairman Jay Walder apologized, telling NY1, This is a mistake of a contractor, and the impact of that is the burden falls on over 100 people who are affected by that and lose their service." But wait, it's going to take two months to get the gas back? more ›

Over the weekend, Rep. Carolyn Maloney handed down her second annual report card on the Second Avenue subway project, giving it a "B" grade, which is a slight improvement from last year's B-minus. At a press conference over the weekend, Rep. Carolyn Maloney held up a $275 million federal check for the project and told the press, "Real progress has been made on the Second Avenue Subway this year—with the subway’s tunnel boring machine literally moving closer to the finish line with each passing hour." But the Sisyphean project continues to go over-budget and make a mockery of target dates. more ›

Lest you think the presence of giant Tunnel Boring Machines is a sign that the Sisyphean Second Avenue subway project is making great progress, the Times is here to report that underground utilities, "including water pipes, gas lines, fuel tanks and electrical wires, are to blame for at least six months of delays and more than $130 million" in overruns. "What due diligence didn’t happen that we are having these cost overruns?" Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer rhetorically wants to know! The project is nearly $1 billion over the last estimate in 2007, when federal financing is secured. It's ultimately expected to cost $4.98 billion—and that's just phase one! Still, it's a small price to pay to avoid having to walk over to Lexington Avenue to catch a train. more ›

Tenants at 28 tenement-style apartments on the Upper East Side are being forced to relocate for at least one month, maybe two, so that MTA workers can perform interior repair work on their buildings to accommodate the Second Avenue subway line. And we're jealous! Because to entice these people to move along with no arguments, the MTA has offered them one sweet deal. more ›

Last week on The Rachel Maddow SHOWwas "Geek Week," which featured Maddow interviewing Nobel Prize-winning Energy Secretary Steven Chu, visiting Ground Zero, and checking out the Iwo Jima helicopter carrier (which is here for Fleet Week). On Friday, she headed to the Second Avenue Subway launch box at 96th Street, noting the many starts and stops of the future "T" line and how it's desperately needed, pointing out the crowded Lexington Avenue line carries more people than the Boston, Chicago and D.C. subways combined each day. more ›

Today was a big day for the Second Avenue Subway project: the enormous tunnel boring machine that will dig the "phase one" tunnel from 92nd to 63rd Street was switched on for the first time. (It arrived at the location last month.) We stopped by the site this morning to take some pictures of the current site and the sandhogs who are working down there. And after the jump, some video of the boring machine beginning to turn. more ›

Last we heard, the Ratdemic had hit Brighton Beach... and now word is that an army of rodents is terrorizing the Upper East Side. In fact, the Wall Street Journal says they've infested every nook of the neighborhood, from stores to car engines. Some locals are blaming the 2nd Avenue subway project (previously blamed for sickness), and say once the sun sets the rats come out in waves. more ›

Earlier this week the 200-ton "cutter head" for the Second Avenue subway's Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) finally arrived at the The Launch Box, which extends from just south of 92nd Street to 96th Street along Second Avenue. Located 60 feet underneath the street, the Launch Box forms the shell of the new 96th Street Station and is where the TBM was assembled; it will begin drilling into one of two starter tunnels in May. This sucker's HUGE. more ›