 In November 2007 , Mary Peters , the United States Secretary of Transportation , announced that the Second Avenue Subway would receive $ 1 @.@ 3 billion in federal funding for the project 's first phase , to be funded over a seven @-@ year period . However , due to cost increases for construction materials and diesel fuel affecting the prices of contracts not yet signed , the MTA announced in June 2008 that certain features of the Second Avenue Subway would be simplified to save money . One set of changes , which significantly reduces the footprint of the subway in the vicinity of 72nd Street , is the alteration of the 72nd Street Station from a three @-@ track , two @-@ platform design to a two @-@ track , single island platform design , paired with a simplification of the connection to the Broadway Line spur . Supplemental environmental impact studies covering the changes for the proposed 72nd Street and 86th Street stations were completed in June 2009 . 
