Milestones in the Building of the Second Avenue Subway

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A Second Avenue subway has long been needed in Manhattan. It just took awhile to make it happen. Over nearly a century, the project has advanced in fits and starts. On Sunday, the first segment finally opened to the public, with three new stations on the Upper East Side.

1920

Building a subway along Second Avenue is recommended by an official in New York City named Daniel L. Turner as part of an ambitious plan to expand the city’s transit system.

1929

The city’s transportation board proposes a Second Avenue subway line from Houston Street to the Harlem River at a cost of $800 million, with a possible connection to the Bronx. A short time later, the stock market crashes, and the plans are shelved.