Work to Begin on $8.7B Trans-Hudson Tunnel

New Jersey officials will sink the first shovel into the nation's largest transportation project on Monday.
    
The groundbreaking ceremony will kick off construction of a third tunnel under the Hudson River, an $8.7 billion project that's expected to be completed in 2017.
    
The new link will be dedicated to carrying commuter rail traffic between northern Jersey and Manhattan, permitting an exponential expansion in direct rail routes and doubling commuter rail capacity by adding two new single-track tunnels under the Hudson River.

The project, paid for in part by federal stimulus funds, is expected to generate and sustain 6,000 jobs through the construction phase and create 44,000 permanent jobs.
    
Gov. Jon Corzine headlines the group of state, local and regional officials who are expected to attend the ceremony, which will be held next to the tunnel's future entrance in North Bergen.