86th Street station (Second Avenue Subway)
86th Street is a station on the first phase of the Second Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of Second Avenue and 86th Street, in the Yorkville section of the Upper East Side in Manhattan, it opened on January 1, 2017. The station is served by the Q train at all times, limited rush hour N trains, and one A.M. rush hour R train in the northbound direction only. There are two tracks and an island platform.
The station was part of the original Second Avenue Subway as outlined in the Program for Action in 1968. Construction on that project started in 1972, but stalled in 1975 due to lack of funding. In 2007, a separate measure authorized a first phase of the Second Avenue Line to be built between 65th and 105th Streets, with stations at 72nd, 86th, and 96th Streets. The station opened on January 1, 2017, as an intermediate station along Phase 1. Since opening, the presence of the Second Avenue Subway's three Phase 1 stations has improved real estate prices along the corridor. The 86th Street station was used by approximately 7.69 million passengers in 2017.
The station, along with the other Phase 1 stations along the Second Avenue Subway, contains features not found in most New York City Subway stations. It is fully compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, containing two elevators for disabled access. Additionally, the station contains air conditioning and is waterproofed, a feature only found in newer stations. The artwork at 86th Street is Subway Portraits, a selection of twelve face portraits by painter Chuck Close.
History
Background
The Second Avenue Line was originally proposed in 1919 as part of a massive expansion of what would become the Independent Subway System. Work on the line never commenced, as the Great Depression crushed the economy. Numerous plans for the Second Avenue Subway appeared throughout the 20th century, but these were usually deferred due to lack of funds. In anticipation of the never-built new subway line, the Second and Third Avenue elevated lines were demolished in 1942 and 1955, respectively. The Second Avenue Elevated had one station at 86th Street and Second Avenue—right above the same intersection where the under-construction subway station is located—while the Third Avenue Elevated had two stops on nearby Third Avenue at 84th Street and 89th Street.Unrealized proposals
As part of the New York City Transit Authority's 1968 Program for Action, the construction of the full-length Second Avenue Subway was proposed. It was to be built in two phases—the first phase from 126th to 34th Streets, the second phase from 34th to Whitehall Streets. This ultimately went unbuilt because of the New York City fiscal crisis of 1975.In 1999, the Regional Plan Association considered a full-length Second Avenue Subway, which include 86th Street as one of its planned 31 stations. The main station entrance would be at 86th Street to the north, with additional exits between 86th and 82nd Streets to the south.
Construction
In March 2007, the Second Avenue Subway was revived. The line's first phase, the "first major expansion" to the New York City Subway in more than a half-century, included three stations in total, which collectively cost $4.45 to $4.5 billion. Its construction site was designated as being from 105th Street and Second Avenue to 63rd Street and Third Avenue. The MTA awarded a $337 million contract—one that included constructing the tunnels between 92nd and 63rd Streets, building a launch box for the tunnel boring machine at 92nd to 95th Streets, and erecting access shafts at 69th and 72nd Streets—to Schiavone Construction, Skanska USA Civil, and J.F. Shea Construction. The line's construction commenced on April 15, 2007, though planning for the station was finalized in June 2007, when the station entrances' locations were confirmed.On September 15, 2011, the contract for building the station was awarded to the joint venture of Skanska USA and Traylor Bros Inc., the cavern stretching from 83rd to 87th Streets was 57% excavated. By July 2013, construction of the station was 53% complete. The final blast for the 86th Street station was completed for an escalator cavern on November 22, 2013. Skanska/Traylor were still installing waterproofing and steel reinforcement, as well as putting concrete around the cavern, entrances, and ancillaries., entrances 1 and 2 were being built, and excavation was 100% complete; as of 2014, the station shell was complete, bringing the total Second Avenue Subway project progress to three-fourths completion.
The station was scheduled to be completed by May 16, 2016, but the estimated completion date was pushed back to October 2016. In October 2016, concerns arose that the station might not open on time because workers had only installed 10 of the station's 13 escalators. However, the 86th Street station passed all required systems testing by December 18, 2016. The station opened on January 1, 2017.
Station layout
The 86th Street station is served by Q trains at all times, some N trains during rush hours, and one northbound R train during the AM rush hours. It has two tracks and an island platform. The station is built so that it is more wide open than most other underground stations in the system; its architecture, along with two other Second Avenue Subway stations, was compared to a Washington Metro station by Dr. Michael Horodniceanu, President of MTA Capital Construction. The platform is 93 feet below ground. The platform for the 86th Street station, like the other Second Avenue Subway stations, is wide.The station has air-cooling systems to make it at least cooler than other subway stations during the summer. This requires the station to have large ventilation and ancillary buildings, rather than traditional subway grates. The station is also compliant with current fire codes, whereas most existing stations are not. Additionally, the station is waterproofed with concrete liners and fully drained.
Artwork
In 2009, MTA Arts & Design selected Chuck Close from a pool of 300 potential artists to create the artwork for the station. His work consists of a series of twelve portraits of the city's cultural figures, spread over of wall. Each piece is made with tiles that are painted to create a mosaic-like effect. The pieces cost $1 million and were installed near the exits and in the mezzanines.Close's portraits at the station, titled "Subway Portraits," fall into two main categories. The first category of portraits comprises artists whom Close is familiar with. The station contains portraits of composer Philip Glass in his youth; musician Lou Reed; photographer Cindy Sherman; painter Cecily Brown; artist Kara Walker; and painter Alex Katz. The second category is composed of portraits of younger, more ethnically diverse artists including Zhang Huan, Sienna Shields and Pozsi B. Kolor. In these portraits, Close aimed to highlight the cultural diversity of New York City. He also has two self-portraits within the station.
Exits and ancillary buildings
There are 3 entrances and exits, which comprise 10 escalators and one elevator.| Exit location | Exit Type | Number of exits |
| Entrance 1 Within building at NE corner of Second Avenue and 83rd Street | Escalator | 2 escalators |
| Entrance 2 NE corner of Second Avenue and 86th Street | Escalator | Each entry point has 2 escalators |
| Entrance 2 SE corner of Second Avenue and 86th Street | Elevator | 1 |
There are also two ancillary buildings that store station equipment:
- Ancillary 1, NW corner of Second Avenue and 83rd Street
- Ancillary 2, NW corner of Second Avenue and 86th Street
Controversy emerged over Entrance 2's location in February 2011, when a lawsuit was filed by the Yorkshire Towers over the location of Entrance 2. The entrances, planned to service 3,600 people an hour, were alleged in the lawsuit to be destroying the quality of life for building tenants, if the entrances were to be built in the location. The lawsuit was later dismissed because the suit had been filed two years after the FTA's FONSI was published, which was past the statute of limitations. A new lawsuit was filed on March 15, 2013, after the MTA started construction on the entrances. In June 2013, that lawsuit was also dismissed.
In May 2017, all three escalators in Entrance 1 were damaged by sprinklers activated by faulty sensors, causing the entire entrance to be temporarily closed.