New York's Second Ave Subway: A Century in Maps

The cost: extraordinary. The length: underwhelming. The wait: longer than commercial radio has been around. But after nearly a century’s worth of false starts and scrapped plans, New York City’s Second Avenue Subway leaves the station January 1, 2017.

The fabled Q-train extension starts at the southern tip of Central Park, winds east to an upgraded station at Lexington Ave and 63rd, and travels north up Second Avenue to three all-new stops at 72nd, 86th and 96th Streets. The bill adds up to $4.5 billion. Future phases of construction (none of which are funded) are supposed to stretch the Second Avenue tunnel further north and south. The second segment is supposed to add another couple miles of stops up to 125th street for a whopping $6 billion. It’s officially the costliest subway project in the world.