Author Dan McNichol and former construction executive Bill Goodrich today announced the release of their new book Second Avenue Subway: Building New York City’s Most Famous Thing Never Built, which tells the incredible century-long story of New York’s newest subway line. Illustrated with exclusive photographs from former Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) photographer Patrick Cashin, this book dives deep into the challenges the project faced—spanning politics, engineering, community relations, technology, and even unexpected geology.

“This book is a love letter to the people of New York—and America,” said Dan McNichol. “We hope this unbelievable story inspires Americans to continue building and improving, despite all odds, and we hope it helps everyone—from politicians to builders to everyday Americans—appreciate how difficult, and how important, these projects are.”

“Second Avenue Subway will be a valuable asset for helping the public understand the challenges involved in building megaprojects, especially in dense urban areas,” said Bill Goodrich. “I can only wish we had a great story like this to help us explain the project when I was in charge of Phase 1, but I’m sure it will be tremendously valuable as the Second Avenue Subway project moves into Phase 2 and beyond.”

Second Avenue Subway has universal appeal telling this rich story from all angles—history, engineering, politics, humanity, and the arts. It is history, recounting a hundred years of starts and stops and all the political intrigue in between, while providing a deep dive into awe-inspiring feats of engineering. It is also a human drama—examining the lives of those affected by promises broken and fulfilled, with never-before-published interviews and close-up profiles of union-workers toiling in subterranean muck. And it is a celebration of the arts and the future, with hundreds of stunning photos, an entire chapter dedicated to the new subway line’s artwork, and a thorough, hopeful analysis of how building the Second Avenue Subway will unlock the future of transportation in New York. The book has also earned the recognition of the MTA, which granted the authors a unique licensing agreement.