Local 3 Helps Unveil New 2nd Avenue Subway

After nearly a century of planning and a series of starts and stops, the Second Avenue Subway has finally become a reality for New Yorkers, thanks in large part to the hard work put forth by the men and women of Local 3, IBEW led by Business Representative Anthony Falleo with the oversight of our Business Manager Christopher Erikson.
The MTACC Division broke ground on the $4.5 billion first phase of the long-awaited line in March 2007, to extend the Q Line to the Upper East Side. The initial phases would provide three brand new ADA-compliant stations along 2nd Avenue at 72nd, 86th and 96th Streets, as well as a retrofit to the existing 63rd Street station with connection to the F Line.
The first phase was broken up into ten separate contracts, which spanned several phases of construction from heavy civil, tunneling and mining to architectural finish and electrical work, as well as overall transit system work (track, traction power, signals and communications).
The electrical work for the final contracts was helmed by several Local 3, IBEW-affiliated electrical contractors, including: Hatzel & Buehler, Inc. (63rd St. station contract, General Superintendent: William Mari and General Foreman: Jim Galante, Welsbach Electric Corp. (72nd St. station contract, General Superintendent: Bob Hughes and General Foreman: Matthew Keller), Five Star Electric Corp. (86th St. station contract, General Superintendent: Ken Benfonte and General Foreman: Alan Diaz), E-J Electric Installation Corp. (96th St. station contract, General Superintendent: Bob McCoskey and General Foreman: Seth Licht) and as a General Contractor LK Comstock Company Inc. (Systems contract, General Superintendent: Salvatore DeMatteo and General Foreman: Douglas Cullen).
In February 2016, MTACC gave direction to the system and station contractors to accelerate their remaining work in order to meet the project’s revenue service deadline. This would prove to be a tremendous undertaking for Local 3 inparticular, with critical elements of work remaining, including the completion of permanent facility power and conduit installation associated with the communication systems under the station contracts and traction power, signal and communication work under the systems contract. The acceleration necessitated an aggressive schedule, requiring these contractors to work extended or around-the-clock shifts, seven days a week, for the remainder of the year. At its peak, an average of 500 Local 3 electricians were working tirelessly to support the accelerated plan each day
By early September 2016, several of the major system milestones had been achieved, with each station contract completing its facility power work and connections to Con Edison and continuing to make progress on lighting installation, as well as connections to the escalators, elevators, pump rooms and HVAC systems. The systems contractor completed its work associated with the track, signal and traction power systems, to allow for NYCT to begin training for revenue service. Efforts then shifted to the completion of the communication systems required for revenue service, including the public address, customer information screens, CCTV and fire alarm systems, as well as their associated conduits. This segment of the work would require an incredible amount of coordination among the general and electrical contractors.
During the months that followed, an even greater focus was put onto the completion of the Second Avenue Subway Project, as New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo issued a challenge to the MTA and contractors to ensure that the project, part of the Governor’s initiative to improve and expand upon New York State’s aging infrastructure, would open to the public on time.
The systems contractor, LK Comstock/Skanska, JV, would assume a leadership role in coordinating with Governor Cuomo’s office, as well as the MTACC, the station general contractors, and fellow Local 3 electrical contractors, to meet the rapidly approaching New Year’s Eve deadline. Weekly coordination meetings, led by LK Comstock General Superintendent Salvatore DeMatteo were held with the station contractors to strategize and prioritize the completion of the work that would be required to put the stations in service. Mr. DeMatteo worked closely with the Governor’s office and other contractor senior managers to create a path towards achieving the successful completion of the project. Regular walkthroughs were held to assess the field progress and status of the remaining work and progress was then reported on an almost daily basis to the Governor himself.
The coordinated efforts of all involved pushed the project successfully towards the finish line. Conduit was installed, wire was pulled and devices were mounted; each contractor working tirelessly to do what was necessary to bring the system online, culminating in the achievement of the end goal. The inaugural ride took place on New Year’s Eve and the official public opening kicked off the New Year on January 1, 2017. One thing was abundantly clear as nearly 50,000 people arrived to tour the stations and ride the subway on New Year’s Day, the realization of this project was no small feat. The excitement of transit enthusiasts, business owners and community members was palpable.
The on-time delivery of the Second Avenue Subway line was an incredible achievement for all those involved in its construction. There is no question that it would not have been possible without the support of Local 3 and the hard work and tremendous efforts put forth by the men and women of Local 3, IBEW. The long hours, holidays and time with family that was sacrificed by those who worked with unyielding dedication to build a better New York cannot be recognized enough. Thank you to all who worked so tirelessly to make Second Avenue Subway a reality.

Local 3 members employed by Comstock Electric attend safety meeting prior to theday‰Ûªs work.

Local 3 journeyman preparing to bend 2 å_ inch rigid conduit.

Brand new escalators at the 2nd Avenue subway station.

Pictured is just a small section of the miles of tunnel and track work involved in the 2nd Avenue Subway.

Just a few of the many Local 3 members who assisted in the completion of the new station.

NYS Governor Andrew Cuomo is greeted by Comstock Electric General Superintendant Sal DeMatteo.

Conduit racks being installed on the tunnel wall.

Local 3 members installing some of the many feeder cables it takes to power a job of this magnitude.