106th Street station (Second Avenue Subway)

The Second Avenue Line was originally proposed in 1919 as part of a massive expansion of what would become the Independent Subway System (IND).[2][3]^:203 Work on the line never commenced, as the Great Depression crushed the economy.[4] 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.[5][6] The Second Avenue Elevated had a station at 105th Street,[7] and the Third Avenue Elevated had a stop on nearby Third Avenue at 106th Street.[8]

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority proposed a full-length Second Avenue Subway as part of its 1968 Program for Action. The line was to be built in two phases—the first phase from 126th to 34th Streets, the second phase from 34th to Whitehall Streets.[9][10] The line's planned stops in Manhattan, spaced farther apart than those on existing subway lines, proved controversial; the Second Avenue line was criticized as a "rich man's express, circumventing the Lower East Side with its complexes of high-rise low- and middle-income housing and slums in favor of a silk stocking route."[3]^:218 There was to be a station at 106th Street, but the next station north would be at 125th Street[3]^:218 and the next station south would be at 86th Street.[11] In a planning report, a possible 106th Street station had already been confirmed.[12]

All Second Avenue Subway stations built under the Program for Action would have included escalators, high intensity lighting, improved audio systems, platform edge strips, and non-slip floors to accommodate the needs of the elderly and people with disabilities, but no elevators. Space at each station would have been used for ancillary facilities.[13] The stations were to be made with brick walls and pavers alongside stainless steel, and would have relatively small dimensions, with 10-foot (3.0 m) mezzanine ceilings. Johnson & Hanchard received a contract for the design of the 106th Street station.[14]^:110

A combination of Federal and State funding was obtained, and despite the controversy over the number of stops and route, a groundbreaking ceremony was held on October 27, 1972 at Second Avenue and 103rd Street.[11][15][16] Construction began shortly thereafter on what was to be the 99th–105th Streets segment, which was projected to cost $17.48 million (worth about $106,841,000 today).[17] However, the city soon experienced its most dire fiscal crisis yet, due to the stagnant economy of the early 1970s, combined with the massive outflow of city residents to the suburbs, and in September 1975, construction on the line stopped, and the tunnels were sealed.[16][18] Over the next few decades, the MTA regularly inspected and maintained the tunnel segments (spending $20,000 a year by the early 1990s), to maintain the structural integrity of the streets above, and in case construction would ever resume. Trespassers would often camp in the tunnels until the MTA increased security.[19]

In 1999, the Regional Plan Association recommended building a full-length Second Avenue Subway, which would include 106th Street as one of its planned 31 stations. The station would serve southern East Harlem.[20]

Track maps on the MTA's website show that 106th Street will have two tracks and one island platform.[41] The station would be approximately 52 feet (16 m) deep.[42] Under current plans, there are to be two exits. One exit would be at the northeast corner of 106th Street and Second Avenue; the other would be at the northeast corner of 108th Street and Second Avenue.[40]^{:Figure 2–1A} Under the original plan, two ancillaries would have been present on Second Avenue at the northeast corners of 105th and 108th Streets.[43] As of July 2018, the ancillary at 105th Street was relocated to the southeast corner of 106th Street, while the ancillary at the northeast corner of 108th Street was relocated to the northwest corner of 109th Street.[44][40]^{:Figure 2–1A}