The contract, which will award nearly $2 billion to construction firms, funds crucial aspects of the latest phase of the long-awaited subway expansion into East Harlem.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is moving forward with the Second Avenue Subway expansion, a project that has been promised to East Harlem for nearly a century. The MTA Board has approved a nearly $2 billion contract for the tunneling and excavation work for Phase two of the project.

The MTA’s board unanimously approved a $2 billion tunneling contract with a joint venture between Halmar International and FCC Construction for the northward expansion of the Q line Monday,