Redundancy and extra capacity will be welcome.
On Wednesday morning, the directors of New Jersey Transit are scheduled to approve a $583 million contract for the digging of a train tunnel under the west side of Midtown Manhattan. The tunnel is intended to supplement the existing tunnels that carry commuters into the city from New Jersey and other points west.
The imminent construction of the tunnel is the biggest public works project under way in the country, with an estimated total cost of $8.7 billion. It will stretch from the west side of the New Jersey Palisades to a station under 34th Street, near Macy’s flagship store.