(The Associated Press circulated the following article on May 18.)
NEW YORK — The city has begun accepting bids from contractors to build a 1.1-mile tunnel that would connect the Long Island Railroad to Grand Central Station.
The Metropolitan Transit Authority began calling for bids Monday, with a contract to be awarded in August. Digging was set to begin next year.
The tunnel, expected to cost $6.3 billion, will stretch from East 63rd Street to East 38th Street on Manhattan’s east side. It will connect with an already existing tunnel running under the East River to Queens.
At present, all LIRR trains terminate at Penn Station, on the city’s west side. The tunnel would reduce commute times for riders headed to the east side.
Construction would be complete by 2011 or 2012, the MTA said.