Second Avenue Subway
Since the early 1940s, the number of people traveling in and through the East Side of Manhattan has steadily grown, severely straining the capacity of the area's streets, highways, buses, and subway lines. With the conversion of neighborhoods from industrial to corporate, commercial and high-rise residential buildings have dramatically increased the population density of the East Side.
To make way for development, two subway lines were removed. The Second Avenue "El" was taken down in 1942, followed by the Third Avenue "El" in 1956. This left the Lexington Avenue subway ( and lines) to accommodate the growing East Side population. No new transit facilities were provided to serve the new residential and office buildings that sprung up.
Proposals to build a north-south subway line along Second Avenue date back to 1929, preceding the demolition of the elevated trains. Several detailed plans were proposed in the following decades. The latest plan, developed in the 1960s, proposed a two-track subway line from the Bronx to Lower Manhattan. This plan culminated in the actual construction of several tunnel segments. However, construction was suspended in the 1970s due to the city's financial crisis.
In 1995, MTA New York City Transit began the Manhattan East Side Alternatives (MESA) Study. This project was carried out as a federal Major Investment Study/Draft Environmental Impact Statement (MIS/DEIS). The MESA Study goal was to recommend a course of action(s) to reduce overcrowding and delays on the Lexington Avenue subway line, and to improve mass transit accessibility for residents on the far East Side of Manhattan.
Through extensive research, technical analysis, and frequent meetings with the public, the following major transportation problems were identified:
- Lexington Avenue express service (4 and 6 lines) currently operates with passenger loads that exceed New York City Transit guidelines in the AM and PM peak periods. The overcrowded conditions are expected to increase in future years.
- Convenient access (1/4 to 1/2 mile) to subway service is lacking on the far East Side of Manhattan.
- Passenger crowding commonly lengthens trip times and causes delays in service.
- The majority of rush hour buses are frequently crowded with standees.
- Severe traffic congestion on local streets and the FDR Drive contribute to the City's inability to meet National Ambient Air Quality Standards.