A few moments ago, I cast my vote as a member of the Board of Directors of NJ Transit to authorize the start of construction on one of the largest transportation projects of our generation — the new Mass Transit Tunnel into Manhattan. Governor Corzine joined us as the Board voted unanimously to award a $583 million contract to build the first leg of the project, which will require tunneling more than a mile from Twelfth Ave at W 28th Street in Manhattan to the end of the planned station cavern just west of Sixth Avenue. A contract for the next leg of the tunnel, in the Palisades section of New Jersey, will likely be awarded before February. This project has already created hundreds of jobs, and will create hundreds more in the coming months. When the entire project is underway, the Mass Transit Tunnel will create more than 6,000 jobs.

When completed, the Mass Transit Tunnel will double passenger capacity into New York city – creating access to high-paying jobs for more than 44,000 New Jersey residents — and will provide an invaluable back-up to the existing rail tunnel, which is more than 100 years old.

The project will finally break the peak-time bottleneck for our commuters, and create the opportunity for more direct trains and express service throughout our entire system, including a one-seat ride to and from Manhattan for passengers on the Main, Bergen, Pascack Valley, Raritan Valley and North Jersey Coast Line.

The long-term benefits that the Mass Transit Tunnel will confer on our economy and environment are incalculable.

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