The commute from NJ homes into New York City has never been a stress-free affair. Traffic blocks bridges and chokes tunnels each morning, while trains and ferries run late to the dismay of those rushing to work.
While these annoyances aren’t likely to disappear any time soon, New Jersey residents may have improved access to trains in the near future. On December 9, the NJ Transit Board of Directors approved the first major tunneling contract for the $8.7 billion Mass Transit Tunnel (www.njtransit.com).
The Transit Tunnel, the nation’s largest public transit project, will double commuter rail capacity between NJ homes and New York City. According to an NJ Transit news release, the Board awarded a $583 million contract to a joint New Jersey-New York venture, which was the lowest of three bidders. NJ Transit will receive bids for additional tunnel segments – the Palisades and Hudson River projects – within weeks.
Even experienced New Jersey commuters are often confronted with traveling conditions that test the most patient temperament. Overcrowded train cars may, however, soon be a thing of the past.
NJ Transit’s current two-track tunnel, which was built 100 years ago, is at capacity. The Mass Transit Tunnel project will construct two new single-track rail lines under the Hudson River. Plans to expand New York’s Penn Station are also in place to accommodate the increased number of commuters.
Thousands travel from their NJ homes each day to jobs located in New York City. And while PATH service, NJ Transit bus routes, the New York Waterway ferry and cars adequately transport the working masses into the Big Apple, needs are quickly emerging.
NJ Transit estimates suggest that the project, which is scheduled to conclude in late 2013, will eliminate as many as 22,000 cars from regional roads each day. This effect will surely reduce environmental impact over the short and long term (www.njtransit.com).
Furthermore, the project is expected to create 6,000 jobs annually during construction, and 44,000 permanent jobs after completion (www.njtransit.com). Given the struggling state of New Jersey and New York’s economies, such job development is welcome.
So next time you leave your NJ homes to squeeze onto one of those early-morning commuter trains, take solace in the fact that additional capacity is on the way.
