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MTA: Blasting For 72nd Street Second Avenue Subway Station Completed

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Blasting for the Second Avenue subway line 72nd Street station has been completed, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced Monday.

The MTA said the final blast, which completed the excavation for a future elevator at the corner of 72nd Street and Second Avenue, took place around 4:30 p.m. on Feb. 28.

MTA: Blasting For 72nd Street Second Avenue Subway Station Completed

Controlled blasting and drilling has been going on at the site since January of 2011.

PHOTOS: 2nd Avenue Subway Construction

While the big dig on the Upper East Side is not finished, the conclusion of the blasting has ended a life-shaking chapter to the life of one resident, David.

"It's been a serious issue," David told 1010 WINS' Al Jones. "The blasting actually shakes the building at times."

The blasting has left its share of frayed nerves and shattered windows. And although she is in the area five days a week, Wendy Chittenden says she is glad she doesn't have to live with the construction.

"I think they need to make every effort to get it done as fast as possible, and I'm just so sorry for the people here who are paying the price," she said.

The $4.45 billion project will extend the Q Line along Second Avenue. The line will be 1.7 miles long and will have new stations at 72nd Street, 86th Street and 96th Street.

Last year, the MTA posted video of a controlled blast in the 72nd Street underground cavern from June 26.

Second Avenue Subway - 8/2/2012 Update by mtainfo on YouTube

The project is slated to be finished in December 2016.

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