As one set of builders puts the finishing touches on the 4.8 million square foot megalith that is Xanadu, another is busy laying the track and pavement that will get people there.

Construction on the $182 million Meadowlands Railroad and Roadway Improvement Project (MRRIP)—a multi-agency undertaking that will bring more highway access, a new rail station and nearly 25,000 feet of track to the Meadowlands Sports Complex—began last year and will be completed in late 2009.

Shoppers at Lowe’s Home Improvement in East Rutherford can readily see the progress, including the massive elevated track supports being erected at the site, which is roughly bounded by East Union Avenue, Paterson Plank Road and Route 17 North.

First proposed in 2003, before construction on Xanadu began, the transportation project is being sponsored by the New Jersey Sports and Exhibition Authority (NJSEA), with design, management and construction assistance from New Jersey Transit and the Department of Transportation (NJDOT). The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey will fund the construction of the rail station itself.

The new track begins with a two-track "Y" connection to the eastbound side of the existing Pascack Valley Line in East Rutherford. It will ascend on viaduct and bridges over Murray Hill Parkway, Berry’s Creek and the service road entrance to the Meadowlands Complex, and travel parallel to Paterson Plank Road to the new station. The train will then turn south and link again with the Pascack Valley line before the Secaucus Junction stop.

The 950-foot Meadowlands station will be roughly equidistant from Xanadu and the "Big M" racetrack, and will connect directly to the new Giants/Jets stadium via an elevated platform.

According to NJSEA plans, shuttles would service the station every 30 minutes daily, and every five to ten minutes during football games and special events.

"On game days, it could move between 10 and 12 thousand people an hour, which would make a significant difference in traffic," said NJSEA spokesman John Samerjan, who added that NJ Transit is still sorting out the logistical details.