Last April, construction began on the long-delayed Second Avenue subway, a transportation link originally proposed in the 1920s. During the ensuing decades, progress on the line lurched forward, then halted several times, derailed variously by lack of funds, rising costs and the onset of World War II.

The Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) projects that the first leg of the long-awaited subway, which will run between East 96th and 63rd Streets, will be complete in 2013 and cost $3.8 billion. When the entire line is built it will stretch 8.1 miles – from 125th Street down to the financial district in lower Manhattan – and ease overcrowding on the nearby Lexington Avenue subway line.

In the meantime, neighborhood residents and businesses along Second Avenue between East 96th and 91st Streets are struggling to cope with the first phase of the massive, multi-year construction project. Their blocks have become a maze of construction fencing pockmarked with temporary access points to their homes and shops.

“We did not think the construction would be as intrusive as it as,” said Rita Popper, who lives at East 91st Street in Knickerbocker Plaza and serves as president of the building’s tenant association. She expressed particular concern for the building’s many elderly residents who must maneuver wheelchairs and walkers along the circuitous paths around the construction zone. “We’re all for the subway,” Popper said. “It’s greatly needed. But with progress, there’s going to be some pain.

In this early stage of construction, utility lines are being moved from the center of Second Avenues to its west and east sides in preparation for boring the subway tunnel, which the MTA forecasts will begin in mid-2008. The relocation of utilities forces traffic along the busy avenue down to two lanes from four and creates dust, noise and safety issues in the excavation area.

“It looks like a war zone,” said David Liston, chair of Community Board 8, “and people are definitely suffering.”

He said the community board is working collaboratively with the MTA, as well as other city agencies, to try to resolve problems, such as the displacement of local residents, disruptions for local businesses, tree removals and fire safety concerns.

“Our sign has been hidden by the construction since May,” said Marisol Quinones, weekend manager of Synergy, a fitness club at East 93rd Street and Second Avenue.
“The noise and the dust are bothersome. We can’t leave the door open anymore.”

David Rosenstein, a community activist who lives near East 91st Street and Second Avenue, said neighborhood residents grew concerned about fire hazards once they assessed the scale of the construction work. The work zone on the west side of Second Avenue extends 40 feet out from the sidewalk, making buildings difficult to reach with hoses and ladders. The community board met with the fire department in September and voted unanimously in October to request additional staffing at the local engine company during subway construction. The board is currently waiting for the fire department’s response.

“There will always be some difficulties,” said Aaron Donavan, Metropolitan Transit Authority spokesperson, “but we are working with the local community board and impacted businesses.”

He recommended that anyone with questions or concerns about the project call the MTA’s Second Avenue subway hotline at 646-252-2670.

Assembly Member Jonathan Bing said the subway construction project creates a particularly difficult situation for local businesses because the MTA is not accustomed to resolving issues of economic loss. The construction zone blocks access to storefronts, interrupts phone service and thwarts deliveries.

“In the long run, the Second Avenue subway line will be a benefit, but not for the local businesses that don’t survive,” said Bing, who is looking for ways to help at the state level.

Nick Canovic, a partner in Ray’s Pizza near the intersection of 95th Street and Second Avenue, said that his business has lost a third of its sales as a result of the disruptions caused by the project. “We are trying to survive,” he said, “that’s all that matters. It’s going to be a very long time.”