New Jersey (NJ) Transit has awarded the first and the second of three tunnelling contracts for the planned $8.7bn Mass Transit Tunnel, a project to double the capacity of NJ-New York commuter rail. Visit www.njtransit.com. The third Hudson River Tunnels tender is in process. Click here for more. On 08.01.2010 the USD271.7million contract for a total of 3,169.92 m of twin-bore tunnel through the Palisades between Tonnelle Avenue Underpass in North Bergen and Hoboken was awarded to PTP Constructors of Secaucus, a joint venture of JF Shea Construction and Skanska USA Civil Northeast. Work is expected to begin in the next few months and finish within three years. For more click here. Visit www.jfshea.com and www.skanska.com. On 10.12.2009 the USD583 million contract for 5,029.2 m of Manhattan tunnels, to be built with two TBMs through hard rock between a shaft at Twelfth Avenue in New Jersey and 28th Street in Manhattan, was awarded to a jv of Barnard of New Jersey and Judlau Contracting Inc. of College Point, N.Y. Construction will begin in 2010 and is expected to continue until late-2013. Click here for more. Visit www.barnard-inc.com and www.judlau.com. 03/10.