ASTM Group, the world's second-largest highway concession operator and an infrastructure behemoth owned by the Italian Gavio Group, has been awarded the contract to design and build a new section of the Second Avenue subway in New York City, between 116th and 125th Streets, through its subsidiary Halmar International. This is the most extensive tunnel excavation contract ever awarded by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), which oversees the most extensive transportation network in North America, providing service to more than 15 million individuals across a 5,000-square-mile geographic region. "The acquisition of this new contract in the United States is a source of immense pride for us and is a highly significant accomplishment that validates our capacity to execute intricate projects in one of the most competitive global markets", stated Umberto Tosoni, CEO of ASTM Group. The project involves the construction of two parallel tunnels, each 1,250 meters long, with an internal diameter of 6.1 meters, the excavation of the new underground 125th Street station, and the adaptation of the tunnel dating back to the 1970s to house the future 116th Street station.