 Estimated completion schedules have been widely varying . As of 2009 , the proposed construction schedule showed the Second Avenue Subway opening for passenger service in 2016 . Other publications have listed expected construction dates for Phase 1 , as well as mentioned the possible December 2016 opening . In its 2008 capital improvement budget proposal , the MTA pushed back completion of Phase 1 from 2014 to 2015 , and in 2009 , the MTA pushed it back again to 2016 . As of February 2016 , the line is still scheduled to open in December 2016 . On February 24 , 2016 , the MTA allocated $ 66 million to speed up the construction of the first phase so that it could open in December . However , in June 2016 , it was reported that contractors for the MTA were not expending extra resources to accelerate the last portion of Phase 1 construction , and that the MTA had only completed 67 % of testing , with the line requiring another 1 @,@ 100 equipment tests by October 2016 in order to be deemed operational . The contractors and the MTA blamed the delays on each other , with the MTA saying that the contractors did not show up to work on certain days ; the contractors , on the other hand , said that the MTA had asked for over 2 @,@ 500 design changes during construction , and in some cases , the contractors had to destroy and rebuild sidewalks , rooms , entrances , and other design elements that had already been built . 
