MTA says it will award new Second Avenue Subway contracts

The MTA said Friday it hoped to award contracts this summer as it proceeds toward construction of the new phase of the Second Avenue Subway on the East Side of Manhattan.

The first phase has four stations — from 63rd Street to 96th Street — and is scheduled to open by the end of this year.

The agency said Friday it was seeking bids related to the extension of the line north to 125th Street, with other stops at 106th Street and 116th Street.

“Our goal is to fast-track Phase 2 to every extent possible, and if these efforts to speed up the project timetable are successful, the MTA will amend our Capital Program and seek additional funds to begin heavy construction sooner,” MTA Chairman and CEO Thomas F. Prendergast said in a statement.

“With the opening of first phase of the Second Avenue Subway planned for the end of this year, we are taking steps to ensure a seamless transition to the next phase of work ahead,” he said.

He did not give a timetable for the expected completion of the second phase.

The first phase, with new stations at 72nd, 86th and 96th Streets, will link with the current 63rd Street stop on the F train. Stations on the Second Avenue line will be served by changing the route of the Q train.

The current MTA budget includes $535 million for planning, design, environmental studies, property acquisition, utility relocation and preliminary construction of the second phase.

The budget for the first phase is $4.4 billion, but a dollar amount for the entire second phase will not be established until the next capital budget, an MTA spokesman said.