By Jennifer Glickel
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MIDTOWN WEST — New Jersey Transit is expected to approve a $583 million contract Wednesday to begin major construction of a rail tunnel that will connect Midtown West to New Jersey.
The tunnel project, which is known as Access to the Region's Core (ARC), is intended to double commuter capacity between New Jersey and Manhattan, as well as allowing transfer-free train service for residents of New York's Orange and Rockland counties to a station under Herald Square, according to NJ Transit.
The project officially broke ground in June, but Wednesday's approval of the $583 million contract will allow for the first major tunneling under Manhattan, scheduled to get underway early next year.
The tunnel construction is planned in three phases. The Manhattan portion will run from West 28th Street to a Penn Station expansion to be constructed below 34th Street.
At an estimated overall cost of $8.7 billion, the tunnel construction is the nation's largest mass transit project, the New York Times reported.
