Harlem businessowner worries 2nd Avenue subway project is steering customers away

Added: 2026-05-16

[00:00:00]The Second Avenue Subway project has entered phase two of extending the Q line into Harlem, but local businesses say it's impacting their bottom line, and some are even being forced to move.

[00:00:12]Harlem reporter Noelle Lilly has the story.

[00:00:15]Will I make it? You know, will I make it till >> [music] >> till this project is done?

[00:00:19]>> If you walk down Second Avenue, you could walk right by and not even see La Amistad Pizza.

[00:00:24]>> Everything is blocked, and people think we're closed. Even for me to bring my my merchandise here is is is a hassle. East Harlem native Eddie Rendon is one of several business owners along Second Ave who say they've lost business since construction began on the Second Avenue Subway project.

[00:00:41]The project will expand the Q line into East Harlem and Harlem, as well as create new stations at 106th, 116th, and 125th streets. It's currently in phase two, and construction has taken over storefronts and slowed down traffic.

[00:00:55]Business owners like Rendon tell me they do see the benefit of the project, but they need more support in the meantime.

[00:01:02]Another neighborhood favorite, Mexican restaurant Cascalote, now has to move, the building being purchased by the MTA.

[00:01:09]>> They give us uh 90 days to 6 months to move.

[00:01:12]>> This is our livelihood. This is our livelihood. This is how we make our money. In this neighborhood, it's it's not easy to find >> Federal law requires the MTA provide compensation and relocation assistance for displaced businesses and residents.

[00:01:28]Neighbors like Leslie Colon want better communication from the MTA.

[00:01:31]>> We're trying to get all the businesses together. There should be a town hall meeting coming soon. From 109th to 110th, there is no signage for those businesses as well.

[00:01:42]>> The MTA told me it expects to reduce work zone areas and improve visibility in front of La Amistad Pizza by July 2026. Bigger business signs are arriving within the next few weeks, and as for Cascalote, the MTA says it can connect businesses with relocation consultants for moving help. In East Harlem, Noel Lilly, CBS News New York.