NEW YORK | One World Trade Center | 1,776' Pinnacle / 1,373' Roof | 108 FLOORS

[Ghost]

Temporary...

[PhxSprawler]

NYGuy and eMKay,

THANK YOU for posting the pics! It is very exciting to see some real updates on this building. One would think the world would be following the progress more closely, or at least posters on SSP would be posting more pics.

[Puzzlecraft]

ZZ - could be that the other core is being held up by a need to maintain space for major equipment to get at the wall along that side. There has been a lot of ongoing work on the other wall, so maybe this wall is still being worked on too - haven't seen any good shots of what is going on there on that wall. I don't see any steel rising on that side either.

[NYC4Life]

Despite the progress being made at the core, the tower itself, like the rest of the WTC center site, is behind schedule. The Freedom Tower may not even be ready for another 5 or so years. The report on the timetable from the Port Authority is due out tomorrow, or so they say :(

[Lt. Washburn]

Yes, thanks for those who are providing pictures, but in all of New York is there not anyone that can take pictures more regularly? Just no one that visits this forum, eh?

[NYguy]

NYGuy and eMKay,

THANK YOU for posting the pics! It is very exciting to see some real updates
on this building. One would think the world would be following the progress
more closely, or at least posters on SSP would be posting more pics.

The tower is just now getting to the point where anything is visible enough
to get photos. I'm sure people will take more photos now that it begins to rise
above street level.

For the first time, I feel that I am truly looking at the Freedom Tower, and
not just some steel in the ground...


http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/99343497/large.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/99343494/original.jpg

[Kamatzu]

Aren't they releasing the budget concerns today?

[NYguy]

Aren't they releasing the budget concerns today?

They have. The memorial won't be completed by the 10th anniversary (not sure that's a big problem) and the new PATH terminal will be delayed (not a big problem either, as long as the station is currently open for business). There are still some overall site issues that need to be resolved. But the skyscrapers are being built at least.

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/30/higher-costs-and-delays-expected-at-ground-zero/?hp

Higher Costs and Delays Expected at Ground Zero

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/06/30/nyregion/30wtc2-533.jpg

Mr. Silverstein, whose real estate development firm is a key part of the reconstruction effort, said in a statement:

New Yorkers are entitled to an aggressive, reliable schedule for rebuilding the World Trade Center, backed by absolute accountability from the people responsible for getting the job done. Governor Paterson and Chris Ward have shown real leadership in committing to candidly and openly address the challenges the Port Authority faces with the projects under its control. As of today, my company’s projects – Towers 2, 3 and 4 – are fully designed and on schedule. Construction of Towers 3 and 4 is underway, and all three buildings are slated for completion, as projected, by the end of 2012.

As demonstrated by the success of 7 World Trade Center, as well as other recent developments in the area, Downtown is energized like never before. It is vital that we maintain that momentum and finish the rebuilding.

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/06/30/nyregion/30wtc-533.jpg
Scott Thompson, a construction project executive with Silverstein Properties, at the World Trade Center site last week.

[[SP]Neo]

thank you all for these update pictures. how many days do they need for one floor?

[NYC4Life]

Yes, thanks for those who are providing pictures, but in all of New York is there not anyone that can take pictures more regularly? Just no one that visits this forum, eh?

The vast majority of the construction taking place at WTC is still below grade (below ground) or in the foundation phase. Tower 2's foundation is still being dug up. Towards the end of the year we should start seeing more cranes at the site and the first steel beams being erected on Towers 2, 3, and 4. By that same time we should see Deutshe Bank Building (Site of the future Tower 5) finally demolished....Assuming demolition stays on schedule. So for now pictures of the progress at the site are limited to just the pits, the Freedom Tower's core, and the 2 cranes operating on the tower (which will soon be 4).


For live webcam streams of the WTC site You can check out it's EarthCam link:

http://www.earthcam.com/usa/newyork/groundzero/

[Renton]

Reading the full report just now, It looks like the entire process is a mess. Everything is behind schedule and over budget. Just the talk of cutting back things like the memorial and the Path station make me cringe. Hopefully they can get all interested parties back together to get all these projects back on track.

[NYguy]

Reading the full report just now, It looks like the entire process is a mess. Everything is behind schedule and over budget.

It is a mess, but you would have the same situation if everything went right. Each of the individual WTC projects would be facing some type of delay, one way or the other. Basically what the report is saying is that the target completion dates were unrealistic. But this is no big revelation for the WTC site - everyone already knew these things were behind schedule, its just that now the Port Authority admits it.

The public has shown some genuine outrage, but those of us who follow this on an almost daily basis already knew these things. But on the other hand, if Silverstein gave his own press conference to clarify that - in fact - the office towers were on target to be completed, that's all the vast majority of the people want. Does it really matter that the memorial may be completed 12 years later rather than 10? It shouldn't. Everyone agrees that the Calatrava PATH terminal is causing the biggest problem and is most over budget. If it has to be scaled back, then so be it. AS much as I would like to see it built as is, it's better to get a scaled down version built than to sit around for years pretending that it may get built.

[NYguy]

Towards the end of the year we should start seeing more cranes at the site and the first steel beams being erected on Towers 2, 3, and 4.

I don't think we're scheduled to see steel on those towers until next year...
(the dates have already been pushed back a few months from posted dates)

Tower 2

Foundation Construction.............. July - December 2008
Construction Drawings................. April 1, 2008
Superstructure to Ground Level..... January - July 2009
Structural Steel Erection.............. July 2009 - March 2011
Structural Concrete Tower Core & Slab.......... October 2009 - June 2011
Core and Shell Work.................... March 2010 - December 2012
Curtain Wall............................... April 2010 - March 2012

Tower 3

Foundation Construction.................. January - July 2008
Construction Drawings..................... April 1, 2008
Superstructure to Ground Level......... July 2008 - January 2009
Structural Steel Erection.................. January 2009 - September 2010
Structural Concrete Tower Core & Slab........... March 2009 - November 2010
Core and Shell Work........................ September 2009 - December 2011
Curtain Wall......................... November 2009 - March 2011

Tower 4

Foundation Construction........................ January - July 2008
Construction Drawings........................ April 1, 2008
Superstructure to Ground Level............ July 2008 - January 2009
Structural Steel Erection......................... January 2009 - September 2010
Structural Concrete Tower Core & Slab............ March 2009 - November 2010
Core and Shell Work.......................... September 2009 - December 2011
Curtain Wall................................ November 2009 - March 2011

The combined delays of Silverstein and the Port Authority have pushed these towers back to 2012...

As of today, my company’s projects – Towers 2, 3 and 4 – are fully designed and on schedule. Construction of Towers 3 and 4 is underway, and all three buildings are slated for completion, as projected, by the end of 2012.

[M II A II R II K]

Ground Zero rebuild plan scrapped

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7483590.stm

The owner of the World Trade Center has abandoned the timetable for rebuilding work at the site of the 9/11 attacks, saying it was "not realistic".

Port Authority of New York and New Jersey executive director, Christopher Ward, listed over a dozen issues that had slowed work and raised costs.

New dates for the completion of a memorial, skyscrapers and a transit hub are expected to be issued in September.

It is unclear if the centrepiece Freedom Tower, will now be scaled back.

The tower, intended as a replacement for the destroyed Twin Towers, had been scheduled for completion in 2006 and then 2011, but the latest estimate is 2013.

At 1,776ft (541m) it would be the tallest building in the US.

'Emotional dates'

In a report to New York governor David Paterson, Mr Ward said: "The schedule and cost estimates of the rebuilding effort that have been communicated to the public are not realistic."

He said developers and government agencies would set new "clear and achievable timelines" by the end of September.

Mr Ward said the earliest rebuilding estimates in the wake of the 9/11 attacks were not truthful, referring to them as "emotional dates".

The deadlines for the redevelopment work have been moved several times.

The project's initial $14bn (£7bn) budget has continued to rise as commodity prices soar and developers and government agencies wrangle over site plans.

[spwelan]

I don't know how people could let this happen
They should have just let private developers have the site after it was cleared out and let them do whatever they wanted.
The government and politics screw everything up. I don't know how anyone can trust them to handle anything.

The same thing is happening to our country now.

I'm annoyed

[Don098]

Can one of the vets that REALLY knows this project please comment on this:

"Well I hope this is wrong but , my daughters engineering buddy
claims the ACC tower has about as much a chance of being built
as the WTC in New York .

Seems the tower in NYC is seven or eight years behind schedule ,
three BILLON dollars over budget and no one has totally agreed on
the final design . What's up with that ??" (Italics added for emphasis)

Is this true?

[Kamatzu]

Can one of the vets that REALLY knows this project please comment on this:

"Well I hope this is wrong but , my daughters engineering buddy
claims the ACC tower has about as much a chance of being built
as the WTC in New York .

Seems the tower in NYC is seven or eight years behind schedule ,
three BILLON dollars over budget and no one has totally agreed on
the final design . What's up with that ??" (Italics added for emphasis)

Is this true?
There was no way it was going to be done seven or eight years earlier than the current "schedule", and the final design is more or less finalized. The only things that have a decent chance of changing are the PATH terminal, the underground concourse and mall, and possibly 3WTC (If Merrill chooses to reside there).

[Scruffy]

Can one of the vets that REALLY knows this project please comment on this:

"Well I hope this is wrong but , my daughters engineering buddy
claims the ACC tower has about as much a chance of being built
as the WTC in New York .

Seems the tower in NYC is seven or eight years behind schedule ,
three BILLON dollars over budget and no one has totally agreed on
the final design . What's up with that ??" (Italics added for emphasis)

Is this true?

I can't comment on the ACC.

There are a variety of reasons why the Freedom Tower is so delayed. Design Changes being a main one. The "emotional dates" isn't a lame excuse. its true. But more political then emotional. Then Governor tried to rush the project much faster than its intended evolution for political exposure to aid in a presidential campaign. what better campaign image than to be the man standing in front of a towering world trade center under construction. This is all true. Well he got shot down by the police department when out of left field they announced the tower was unsafe and in danger of truck bombs in its current location. The timing of the annoucement was suspect to me. But the outcome was welcome. The tower got shifted to a more suitable location on the site and another redesign came about ending the birdcage tower design.

From the time of the new design (3rd i think) the tower has progressed like any other supertall does. No major delays. The foundation didn't start in earnest until then. It did NOT start in 2002. With all the bull that happened 5 years ago, im surprised we are this advanced. This is a near 1400ft tower to the roofline, the foundations for something that size take time. Add into that that a subway line (path line) actually crosses through the towers basement and that the line cannot be shut down and you have more complications.

This is the final design. There may be tweeks on the base structure and the spire but thats it. The only delay that I fault the PA for is the fact that during all the delays and design changes, they did not dig the bathtub for towers 2,3 and 4. No matter what the design, that would need to happen. They could have saved some time there. instead we are still waiting for 2 to be dug out.

the site is 13 acres. Goes at least 70 feetdeep, i think deeper. There is 1 subway tunnel on its east side and two others going through the site. And its right up against the hudson river which is why we keep talking about a bathtub. the wall keeps the river out. Across the street is built on landfill from the original twins. The port Authority is doing a good job despite the massive challenges. they need some credit.

does that help?

[37TimPPG]

What a disaster...what a complete, disgraceful disaster!!! Those clowns at Port Authority couldn't even deliver a bottle of milk on time. I agree with an earlier poster that the whole site should have been turned over to private developers after being cleared out.

Why do I have this terrible feeling Freedom Tower will be scaled back? I just hope it is still going to be 1,776 ft tall!?

What a bunch of clowns!

[Don098]

Yes, thanks scruffy for the synopsis. Someone on our American Commerce Center forum was making some bold statements about this project that sounded a little suspect to me. You can't compare this project to the ACC considering the national attention the WTC engenders and the emotions behind it that have caused the delays you outlined. I'm not the biggest fan of the design, but I think the smaller buildings will be nice staging.

[photoLith]

Where are the pictures on this, I demand an update every 5 seconds like on the Chicago Spire ;)

[Scruffy]

What a disaster...what a complete, disgraceful disaster!!! Those clowns at Port Authority couldn't even deliver a bottle of milk on time. I agree with an earlier poster that the whole site should have been turned over to private developers after being cleared out.

Why do I have this terrible feeling Freedom Tower will be scaled back? I just hope it is still going to be 1,776 ft tall!?

What a bunch of clowns!

I really don't think it needs hysterics. Did they perform perfectly, no. But I still think the PA has done alright given the tremendous hurdles they've had to face. The emotional ones alone set everyone back a year. everytime a decision was made, you had the wailing wall of victim's families protesting everything. i feel for them but unlike them I don't want a pit in the ground for the next 50 years. Everytime a bone fragment was found they would have to shut down and carefully search for more to ID a survivor. To me, this is an understandable delay. I too would like as many fragments identified. But it adds on to the delay

I have no evidence, but I severely highly doubt that they would mess with the Freedom Tower's scale at all. What they need to do is sell off the lot for WTC 5 and use that money to further finance the rest of the site.

[NYguy]

I really don't think it needs hysterics. Did they perform perfectly, no. But I still think the PA has done alright given the tremendous hurdles they've had to face.

True. Once things finally got underway, which was really just a couple of years ago, there has been steady progress. Of course costs are going to continue to rise, that happens with all projects, let alone one as complicated as this one. As I've mentioned before, basically the new director is saying the original cost estimates and timetables were unrealistic to begin with. It's like, if someone tells you they will have a 7 day job completed in 4 days, is it really a delay when the truth comes out?


Meanwhile, Calatrava's transit hub faces some changes to help cut costs...
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/02/nyregion/02path.html?ref=nyregion

Design of Ground Zero Transit Hub Is Trimmed

By DAVID W. DUNLAP
July 2, 2008

The wings of Santiago Calatrava’s PATH terminal were meant to be retractable, but officials decided to leave them immobile.

The roof “will no longer open and close,” said Christopher O. Ward, the executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which is building the hub. “This is a tough choice, but it is the right choice,” he said. “It’s reflective of the kinds of choices we simply must make in the coming weeks and months if we are to establish priorities and milestones, to which we can be held accountable.”

However, Mr. Ward said that a gap would be retained between the north and south roof segments, on the long axis — or spine — of the lens-shaped hall. This gap might be up to 12 feet wide. Glass panels within the gap would ordinarily protect the interior from cold, rain and snow. These panels could be retracted in good weather, on the Sept. 11 anniversaries and also to let smoke escape, if needed.

“The spine will remain as an opening,” Mr. Ward said. “There will be the same sense of light and air and escape.”

He said time and money would be saved by not having to engineer the wings to account for changing weight distribution. Scrapping the idea would also eliminate the problem of the south wing coming within three or four feet of Tower 3, one of the office buildings being developed by Silverstein Properties. “God forbid something failed,” Mr. Ward said.

Mr. Calatrava issued a statement saying the revision was “just the latest example of many changes we have recommended” to save time and money “while preserving the integrity of the original design.”

Given financing limits, the authority must find ways to build the hub for no more than $2.5 billion. Though officials have insisted that the hub’s signature features would be retained, subtle and not-so-subtle changes have already been made, some that are arguably more significant than opening and closing roof wings. For instance, the underground mezzanine was originally to be illuminated with skylights set in the pavement of the memorial plaza above. That arrangement, which far more directly affects the experience of daily commuters, was quietly scrapped in recent months.

[NYguy]

Why do I have this terrible feeling Freedom Tower will be scaled back? I just hope it is still going to be 1,776 ft tall!?

Only you can answer your first question. The Freedom Tower is to be the tallest of the WTC towers, so it won't be scaled back. That would force too many significant changes this far in the game, including possibly moving the broadcast antenna to tower 2 or 3 - meaning yet more design changes. Don't count on it.

[Puzzlecraft]

... from the NYT - July 2, 2008...

Most of New York City’s largest construction projects ground to a halt or near-halt on Tuesday because of an unanticipated strike by more than 400 cement-truck drivers.

With the bulky, noisy ready-mix concrete trucks largely disappearing from the city’s streets, the walkout affected scores of projects, including the Freedom Tower; the Second Avenue subway; the new Yankee Stadium; Citi Field, the ballpark that will replace Shea Stadium; and many high-rise apartment buildings.

The concrete companies hit by the strike predicted that the walkout would last at least through Monday and perhaps considerably longer, putting thousands of construction workers temporarily out of work.

Etc.

[NYguy]

Where are the pictures on this, I demand an update every 5 seconds like on the Chicago Spire ;)


June 25, from jebb (http://flickr.com/photos/jebb/)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3024/2615087786_ed6ae8824d_b.jpg

[NYC4Life]

The loss of a retractable roof won't greatly impact the overall Transit Hub, it is not like a domed stadium is being built. However; any more cutbacks and this Hub (along with the rest of the WTC) will be in deep sh*t.

[NYguy]

The loss of a retractable roof won't greatly impact the overall Transit Hub, it is not like a domed stadium is being built. However; any more cutbacks and this Hub (along with the rest of the WTC) will be in deep sh*t.

I hope that "winged" structure gets built, but its not entirely neccessary or needed for the station itself to be built. It's welcome excess - if we can afford it. If building it puts other elements of the memorial and the station in jeapordy, we can do without it, the station itself is underground, and on a completely different side of the street.

[Kamatzu]

... from the NYT - July 2, 2008...

Most of New York City’s largest construction projects ground to a halt or near-halt on Tuesday because of an unanticipated strike by more than 400 cement-truck drivers.

With the bulky, noisy ready-mix concrete trucks largely disappearing from the city’s streets, the walkout affected scores of projects, including the Freedom Tower; the Second Avenue subway; the new Yankee Stadium; Citi Field, the ballpark that will replace Shea Stadium; and many high-rise apartment buildings.

The concrete companies hit by the strike predicted that the walkout would last at least through Monday and perhaps considerably longer, putting thousands of construction workers temporarily out of work.

Etc.
This deeply angers my soul.

[NYC4Life]

From: The New York Sun

N.Y.-N.J. War Brewing Over New Ground Zero Costs

By PETER KIEFER, Staff Reporter of the Sun
July 2, 2008

A battle is brewing between New York and New Jersey over who will pay for the billions of dollars in expected cost overruns at ground zero.

Governor Corzine through a spokesman said yesterday he was "dismayed" a day after the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced it could not say when construction at the World Trade Center site would be completed or how much it would cost. The spokesman for Mr. Corzine, Jim Gardner, said the governor "does not want to see these cost overruns and delays become an excuse to reduce funding commitments to projects that are already in the capital plan."

According to a number of sources, Mr. Corzine is sending a clear signal to both the Port Authority and to Governor Paterson: Keep your hands off the funding that is already in place for the more New Jersey-friendly transit projects — specifically the ARC Tunnel project and the PATH transit hub.

The Port Authority, which owns the 16-acre World Trade Center site, is a bistate agency and Messrs. Paterson and Corzine hold equal sway over its leadership. The governor of each state appoints six members to the board of commissioners and both governors retain the right to veto the actions of commissioners from their respective states.

"To hear Governor Corzine speak out proves that New Jersey, which is in dire need of money and doesn't have hundreds of quasi-government agencies like New York does, wants to make sure they get their share of the swag," a former executive director of the Port Authority, George Marlin, said in an interview. "They must be getting nervous that this money they are depending on may be in jeopardy."

On Monday, the executive director of the Port Authority, Christopher Ward, said an accurate cost and scheduling assessment at the site was impossible due to at least 15 unresolved decisions.

Mr. Ward said he would be providing an assessment that includes dates and possible budget overruns by the end of September. The current projected budget, which includes five new office towers, a memorial museum, a park, a performing arts center, and a transit hub, is about $15 billion; the total price tag could increase by $3 billion or more, according to published reports.

A Port Authority source said Mr. Corzine is positioning himself in anticipation of the September report.

"Corzine doesn't want to be seen as being willing to take away from projects that are closer to New Jersey, like the ARC tunnel and the PATH train station," the source said.

The $7.5 billion ARC Tunnel project — referring to "access to the region's core" — would create a new passenger rail tunnel under the Hudson River between New Jersey and Manhattan. Current funding plans include $3 billion from the Port Authority, with the remainder coming from New Jersey and the federal government.

Yesterday, Mr. Ward announced that the Santiago Calatrava-designed PATH transportation hub would not maintain the function that would allow the structure's wings to open and close. Mr. Ward said the decision allows for the station to be built sooner and for the Port Authority to save money.

"This is the kind of tough decision that we will face," he said to reporters at a breakfast in Lower Manhattan.

When asked who would pay for the ground zero cost overruns, Mr. Ward, who was appointed by Mr. Paterson, said he expected all the existing partners in the project to chip in.

"This is a project that has many partners," he said, pointing to the Federal Transit Authority, the federal government, the Port Authority, Larry Silverstein and private stakeholders. "When there is going to be budget issues going forward it will be the same team that answers that budget question that answers the engineering questions."

[Kamatzu]

Someone should get Bill Gates interested in donating to a good cause. ;)

[NYguy]

Someone should get Bill Gates interested in donating to a good cause. ;)

Mayor Bloomberg is good at fundraising for these things, he's done well with the memorial. But Calatrava's expensive (and excessive) design for the transit terminal isn't on that same priority level for doners.

[NYguy]

Lost in all the talk of "delays"...
http://panynj.com/AboutthePortAuthority/PressCenter/PressReleases/PressRelease/index.php?id=1085

PORT AUTHORITY BOARD APPROVES AGREEMENT WITH PRIVATE-SECTOR TENANT FOR FREEDOM TOWER

Date: June 30, 2008
Press Release Number: 65-2008


The Port Authority Board of Commissioners today authorized an agreement with China Center New York LLC for space in One World Trade Center, the Freedom Tower - the first private-sector office tenant committed to the building.

China Center - which will be built by Beijing Vantone Real Estate Company - will lease approximately 190,000 square feet of office space on parts of the 64th floor, and the entire 65th through 69th floors, and approximately 5,000 square feet of storage space.

The agreement calls for a lease of approximately 23 years from the time the tower opens. The China Center will have the right to lease two additional contiguous floors at the same terms no later than June 30, 2009.

Port Authority Chairman Anthony R. Coscia said, “The Freedom Tower, coupled with other office and retail space on the World Trade Center site, will shape the economic future of Lower Manhattan. Signing up the China Center speaks to our belief in the World Trade Center as a world-class business destination, and will help us attract additional public- and private-sector commitments at the site.”

Port Authority Executive Director Christopher O. Ward said, “This agreement is a clear sign that the private sector believes in the World Trade Center as a prime location to do business and will give us important momentum as we get the entire rebuilding effort at the World Trade Center site on track.”

The China Center will serve as a base for Chinese businesses looking to operate in the United States. It will include a conference-and-events center for its tenants.

The China Center will pay rents for its office space that begin at $80 per square foot and escalate every five years.

Construction of the Freedom Tower began in April 2006 and significant progress has been made during the past two years. Seven of 24 jumbo columns that will form the perimeter of the tower have been installed above street level, with column installation to continue throughout the summer.

The tower’s 500,000 square-foot subgrade area is nearly complete. It involved the installation of approximately 22,000 cubic yards of concrete and more than 1,000 tons of steel.

[NYguy]

Remarks from the PA on the status of other WTC developments:
http://panynj.com/AboutthePortAuthority/PressCenter/PressReleases/PressRelease/index.php?id=1088

(condensed)

REMARKS BY PORT AUTHORITY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR CHRISTOPHER O. WARD ON THE WORLD TRADE CENTER ASSESSMENT

Date: July 01, 2008
Press Release Number: 68-2008


Perhaps for the first time in the history of the rebuilding effort, all of the key stakeholders at the World Trade Center site worked collaboratively with the goal of producing an accurate and current picture of where we are and where we need to go. They opened up their books, shared information, communicated their concerns and – most importantly – asked fundamental questions that largely had gone unanswered in the haste to rebuild.

On June 11th, Governor Paterson asked me for a candid and transparent assessment of the rebuilding effort at the World Trade Center site. Like you, he wanted to understand just what was the state of downtown. As the new Executive Director of the Port Authority, I had the same question. Nineteen days later, here’s what I found:

The dates and costs of the World Trade Center projects that the public has been told are not realistic. We are not going to make any of them.

Our report details 15 fundamental issues that drive both schedule and cost that have yet to be resolved. Until we can resolve these issues, another neatly wrapped package of dates and budgets would be just as unrealistic as the last bunch.

So we are not going down that path again. Instead, this report marks a new way of doing business at the Port Authority, a new way of doing business among all of the stakeholders at the World Trade Center site and; most importantly, a new way of doing business for how we manage this complex project – something the Port Authority Board of Commissioners has been pushing for some time.

Because it’s no longer a question of if all of these projects will get built. Nothing in my assessment leads me to believe that any of these projects won’t be completed as promised. The questions are when and for how much. That is where this new way of doing business comes in.

What we now face is the most complex and difficult construction job you can imagine.

I can tell you today that we know significant progress has been made on every major project on the site since 2006. In fact, it is a completely different site today than it was then. In early 2006, the site was at a virtual standstill. Today, more than 700 workers have turned a standstill into a bourgeoning construction site. Everyone who made that real should be enormously proud of that accomplishment.

But, as I said upfront, we also know that the schedule and costs of the rebuilding effort are not realistic. Unfortunately, far too often those dates and budgets have been driven by emotional and political needs instead of a clear-eyed sense of how you actually build such a vision.

Working together with all of our partners, we will approach this project with a clear sense of mission. We will look at a range of mitigation options to build these projects smarter, faster and for less money. We will peel back budgets to generate cost savings; and we will question assumptions as just those: assumptions. And all of this will be done with a renewed sense of urgency that our town demands.

Having said all of that, as I look across this room, I see a lot of skeptical looks. I don't blame you for being skeptical. But skepticism never built a thing. I know because I have been involved with many projects the skeptics know too well.

In my first tenure at the Port Authority, together we built the AirTrain system to JFK. Many said this project would never be built. It was too costly, too challenging and faced too much local opposition.

We proved them wrong. We overcame challenges and embraced community concerns. Today, the AirTrain system provides a critical mass transit link for millions of riders who travel to and from the airport each year.

There is no question that the World Trade Center project is perhaps the most challenging rebuilding effort in this City’s history, and the biggest challenge ever faced in the 87-year history of the Port Authority.

While I am not naive when it comes to the challenges that lie ahead, I know we have several factors in our favor.

So where does that leave us? What is the actual status of the project?

We have met with all of the major stakeholders of this massive project and we have gotten the engineers and experts involved in a comprehensive analysis, poring over data and combing through budgets and timelines of each construction project.

I also walked the site to see firsthand the state of construction.

First, I was amazed to see the progress on every major project on the site.

-The Freedom Tower is rising above street level.

-Excavation and construction for the foundations for Towers 2, 3 and 4 and associated retail are well underway.

-The foundations and footings for the Memorial are near completion and steel will be arriving soon – so that we can lay the groundwork at the Memorial site for a publicly accessible and appropriate tribute on the 10th anniversary of September 11.

-And the foundation work of the WTC Transportation Hub has begun while the temporary North Access for the PATH Station has already been completed.

But while there is great progress on the 16-acre site, what we discovered during our assessment is that the complex construction activity on the ground doesn’t match up to the timelines and budgets that the public has been told.

Let me give you a sense for the reality of what we are talking about here. On just a few city blocks there will be:

-Five major skyscrapers, which will house Class A office space comparable to all of downtown Atlanta;

-One of the world’s most significant memorials and museums;

-The third-largest transportation hub in New York City;

-A world-class retail venue serving all WTC users;

-A major performing arts center;

-A state-of-the-art vehicle security center;

Two brand-new city streets (Greenwich and Fulton) and two brand-new pedestrian ways (Cortlandt and Dey); and,

-All of the critical infrastructure to support these projects (chiller plant, utility and communication networks, etc).

And all of this is happening within the confines of a transportation corridor that moves 150,000 commuters a day through an active construction site via the MTA #1 subway line, which literally cuts through the center of the site, and the WTC PATH Terminal, which runs beneath the site.

Add to this challenge the fact that there are 19 public agencies, two private developers, 101 different construction contractors and sub-contractors and 33 different designers, architects and consulting firms all in charge of one element of the project or another, and you have a construction challenge that is as complex as any in the world.

Given this enormous complexity, unfortunately, we found that there was no single command and control structure to manage it all, particularly the site logistics on the site – essentially to be the air-traffic controller for the hundreds – soon to be thousands – of workers and heavy construction equipment on the site. That will now change.

Moreover, there was no efficient decision-making process or steering committee to resolve the fundamental drivers of schedule and cost. That too will change.

By opening up this process we found at least 15 fundamental decisions on critical components of the overall project had not been made.

For example, until the Port Authority completes the final design of the WTC Transportation Hub, it is difficult both to responsibly predict a completion date and total cost of the Hub or, for that matter, to predict the completion dates and costs of all the other projects that are linked to and dependent on the Hub. Indeed, it is time that the design of that complex project be made to conform to real budget and schedule expectations, which will require tough decisions that have not been candidly addressed up to now.

Once we have resolved these issues, we will report clear and achievable timelines and cost estimates for each of the major projects with interim milestones and deliverables that will be open to the public so that we can be held accountable.

In fact, I’m pleased to report today the first of these issues has already been resolved. Working together, the Transportation Hub designer Santiago Calatrava and the Port Authority have determined that the so-called “wings” of the Hub oculus will no longer open and close.

Making this decision helps preserve the overall iconic nature of Calatrava’s winged design, but it will allow the Hub to literally fit better with the other buildings on the site; when the wings opened they came far too close to the surrounding office towers.

And best of all, this decision will result in significant cost and time savings.

This is a tough choice, but it’s the right choice. And it’s reflective of the kinds of choices we simply must make in the coming weeks and months if we are to establish priorities and intermediate milestones, to which we can be held accountable.

Having talked construction exclusively during my remarks, I would be remiss if I did not at least touch on my other passion and quote a little Henry James, because it’s a quote I often think about when considering the challenge before us.

James once said: “The New York City skyline is swept clean every twenty-five years.” A Europeanist, James was decrying the rapid change that New York was going through as market forces swept away old economies for new ones, brownstones for skyscrapers – from the early port city, to the trading and industrial era, through financial consolidation, the information age and finally as the world city we know it today.

But the loss of our skyline on September 11th was not this New York energy James described. Rather, it was the very opposite – an anti-modern view which sought to stop our future.

But New York has rebuilt itself time and time again. And it will do so here again in Lower Manhattan. But unlike any other time or project in our history, we are rebuilding on a site fundamentally taken from us by those completely at odds with our town.

And that remains our challenge. And it will take time, as it has. But rebuild we will. With the stakeholders in this room, the real estate market behind us, all of the efforts to date, and a roadmap going forward, a new downtown will be rebuilt. To that I have no doubt.

Thank you.

[Kamatzu]

I was reading on the Earthcam website, in the Ground Zero section, and I noticed it says that "The Sphere" was visible on their camera (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v216/Kamatzu/camera.jpg) in the days following 911.

Did they have a webcam set up pre-911 that oversaw the plaza? If it wasn't pre-911, did they set one up afterwards? If either is the case, does anyone know where the archive is?

Sorry to go a little off-topic, just a question I'd like answered.

[Puzzlecraft]

There were very few Earthcams set up back then. The set of pictures for 9-11, http://www.earthcam.com/usa/newyork/groundzero/content.php?content=timelapse&type=on911&tlcam=ny des not reveal much at all, certainly nothing of the immediate area.

Several days ago Cam 2, the one which covered the widest view at the Ground Zero site stopped working and today it has been removed, sigh.

[philvia]

are you talking about the high def cam? its been offline for about a week now... but how do you know it has been removed? lol

[Realthang]

are you talking about the high def cam? its been offline for about a week now... but how do you know it has been removed? lol

the link was removed from the lower part of the main page. the hd cam page is still there and the link at the top of the main page is still there.

[Kamatzu]

There were very few Earthcams set up back then. The set of pictures for 9-11, http://www.earthcam.com/usa/newyork/groundzero/content.php?content=timelapse&type=on911&tlcam=ny des not reveal much at all, certainly nothing of the immediate area.

Several days ago Cam 2, the one which covered the widest view at the Ground Zero site stopped working and today it has been removed, sigh.
Gah! Did Cam 2 record during 2001?

Quick Edit: This is kind of interesting. (http://www.earthcam.com/usa/newyork/groundzero/content.php?content=timelapse&type=the11th&tlcam=all)

[Dac150]

Well after reading that above article there are definitely some comforting words. At this point, just as stated in the article, it’s simply a waiting game. I believe though after all the time that has already passed; a couple more years won’t make much of a difference. We just need to keep an open mind to some of these cut cost. The way I see it it’s inevitable, and if no one is going to step up to the plate to cover the cost swimmingly, then of course there are bound to be delays.

Let’s look at the positives though:
1. There is much assurance that all the towers will be built as advertised.
2. There will be transit hub (pretty much the same deal only no retractable roof).
3. There will be a concourse, a connector to the WFC, and some form of a Fulton Street Station.

The way I see it the only downside will be a longer wait, and there is much other activity in the immediate area to keep us occupied in the meantime, not to mention the rest of the city.

In regards to the PATH Hub, will it essentially remain as is in design, only without the retractable roof and shorter spikes? I honestly don’t care about the retractable aspect getting the ax; I always found it neat, but a necessity. I rather that be cut than a smaller concourse.

[Kamatzu]

Well after reading that above article there are definitely some comforting words. At this point, just as stated in the article, it’s simply a waiting game. I believe though after all the time that has already passed; a couple more years won’t make much of a difference. We just need to keep an open mind to some of these cut cost. The way I see it it’s inevitable, and if no one is going to step up to the plate to cover the cost swimmingly, then of course there are bound to be delays.

Let’s look at the positives though:
1. There is much assurance that all the towers will be built as advertised.
2. There will be transit hub (pretty much the same deal only no retractable roof).
3. There will be a concourse, a connector to the WFC, and some form of a Fulton Street Station.

The way I see it the only downside will be a longer wait, and there is much other activity in the immediate area to keep us occupied in the meantime, not to mention the rest of the city.

In regards to the PATH Hub, will it essentially remain as is in design, only without the retractable roof and shorter spikes? I honestly don’t care about the retractable aspect getting the ax; I always found it neat, but a necessity. I rather that be cut than a smaller concourse.
I completely agree with you Dac, great points. I agree with the cut on the PATH being a better idea than more sub-level cuts. The underground should definitely take priority over aesthetic "bonus" components.

It'll be worth the wait. This complex is worth getting right, even if it takes a couple years longer. We don't need "value-engineering" on this project.

[Scruffy]

agreed. But i really wish they'd stop cutting on the above ground portion of the station. The wings have already been clipped down twice. NYC is severely lacking in architectually inspiring transit halls. Something that I believe is a standard of a world class city. Maybe its just a status thing instead of function but I still feel it important. Yet this great city currently has 1. And this right now is a much safer bet than Penn

[CoolCzech]

To think the PA had the nerve to take the FT away from Silverstein on the grounds he might not have the resources to complete it! Like these clowns have the resources to blow their own nose without going over budget and past deadline!

[NYguy]

agreed. But i really wish they'd stop cutting on the above ground portion
of the station. The wings have already been clipped down twice. NYC is severely lacking
in architectually inspiring transit halls. Something that I believe is a standard of a world class city.
Maybe its just a status thing instead of function but I still feel it important. Yet this great city currently has 1.
And this right now is a much safer bet than Penn

The funding for Penn is already there (Farley), they just have to decide when to get moving on it.
The Calatrava "wing" sculpture is nice, but in it's current location it's nothing more than a glorified
entrance to a mall, which in turn will connect to the station. It would be nice if they could have
moved it to the station itself, but then that would mean cutting into memorial space, and that won't happen.
But it would look better there, and wouldn't be crammed in by two enormous office towers.

http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/66466720/original.jpg

[photoLith]

Yes, I always thought that the Calatrava entrance looks very strange right there stuffed in between two buildings. It kinda looks like someone just set up a diorama of a whale skeleton in the middle of NYC. I love Calatravas work but no so much this one.

[theWatusi]

Yes, I always thought that the Calatrava entrance looks very strange right there stuffed in between two buildings. It kinda looks like someone just set up a diorama of a whale skeleton in the middle of NYC. I love Calatravas work but no so much this one.

I can't believe NYers are not furious about the price tag of this POS. It looks like the rotten carcass of a raccoon crammed into too small of a space. If the city needs to save money, this is where to do it.

As mentioned before it's just the entrance to the station, not the station itself...no need for such a monstrosity.

[ramvid01]

^^ But the cost of building that "monstrosity" is not why it costs 2.2 billion to build. You could eliminate the building and only save maybe 300 million. The rest of the costs comes from piling the 1 line and digging under it.

[philvia]

I can't believe NYers are not furious about the price tag of this POS. It looks like the rotten carcass of a raccoon crammed into too small of a space. If the city needs to save money, this is where to do it.

As mentioned before it's just the entrance to the station, not the station itself...no need for such a monstrosity.

civic projects should never be cut up and thrown under the rug. more people will use this "rotten raccoon carcass" than any of the surrounding buildings combined, so why should it get the cut?

and its actually pretty big, even after its 'wings' were scaled back.
http://curbed.com/uploads/2008_4_calatrava.jpg
http://academics.triton.edu/faculty/fheitzman/calatrava%20new%20york%20transit%20station.jpg
http://wtc.com/uploads/images/712x534/Transportation_06.jpg
http://www.wtcrising.com/images/FE/chain217siteType8/site187/client/photoGallery/200/PATH-concourse-lvl%20(Large)_big.jpg

[Lt. Washburn]

Thanks for posting those pictures. There's not a page for it on this forum, right?

By the way, are the waterfalls supposed to be like sheets of water or rushing torrents of water? I'm wondering how noisy it will be. Though, I suppose it would cut down on street noise.

Are there any diagrams of the entire site that shows the underground structures/tunnels that will be built? I'm curious how extensive it will be. Will all of the hole be taken up by structures/foundations of some sort or will some of it get refilled in with dirt?

[Dac150]

It's a very neat entrance, no doubt about it. Bottom line is I would like to see this built, but not at the expense of making the concourse/mall smaller. I think once they remove a few things and keep the core concept the expense will scale back to a practical level (in WTC terms that is).

[NYguy]

civic projects should never be cut up and thrown under the rug. more people will use this "rotten raccoon carcass" than any of the surrounding buildings combined, so why should it get the cut?

Not true. Besides, the WTC towers have insurance money to cover their costs. If anything, far more people will use the Fulton Street transit center than the PATH terminal. If there's money to burn, burn it there.

[NYguy]

JULY 5, from geto (http://flickr.com/photos/getocabuhat/)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3038/2639940346_3fb05efbe3_b.jpg


JUNE 30, from Dan Buell (http://flickr.com/photos/californiadan/)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3130/2637960561_caafa59ac2_b.jpg

[NYC4Life]

Look how close West street and the Westside Highway have been pushed up against the World Financial Center. :rolleyes:

[Dac150]

Look how close West street and the Westside Highway have been pushed up against the World Financial Center. :rolleyes:

It'll get pushed back to the proper place eventually.

[NYC4Life]

It'll get pushed back to the proper place eventually.

Yeah, seemed not long ago that stretch of West Street on the WFC side was filled with lawns. Over on the other side of the site at Church Street and Trinity Place, the street has basically been reduced to one lane of traffic with another lane reserved for the sements trucks and other vehicles coming in and out of the site.

[NYguy]

http://www.nypost.com/seven/07072008/postopinion/opedcolumnists/downtown_debacle_118811.htm

WHAT'S GOING RIGHT

http://www.nypost.com/seven/07072008/photos/oped023a.jpg

Finally filling: Building construction is in fair shape at the Twin Towers' site.

http://www.nypost.com/img/cols/stevecuozzo.jpg

July 7, 2008


NEW office buildings are good for New York. Even empty new office buildings are good, because history proves they won't stay empty for long.

This bedrock truth provides more than a glimmer of hope for World Trade Center reconstruction. It should orient Gov. Paterson and Port Authority Executive Director Chris Ward as they struggle to free Downtown's big hole from its status as America's most depressing tourist attraction.

The commercial skyscrapers being built by the PA and Larry Silverstein are the real news out of Ground Zero - not that you'd know it from lazy media coverage. Pore through Ward's laundry list of unresolved issues last week - most, such as the need to demolish 130 Liberty St., already ancient history - and a surprising fact emerges:

Unless Ward is hiding something, the office towers aren't in bad shape at all, though they're long overdue and subject to design alterations.

Now, Ward was hiding something - the fact that the PA is trying to unload the Freedom Tower onto a private developer, as The Post first reported and as the PA tacitly confirmed to Bloomberg News when it acknowledged that "all options are on the table."

But privatizing the Freedom Tower would only be good news. Better still, all four Ground Zero office towers have taken on an irreversible momentum likely to shoulder aside the "whuddum I gonna do?" whining that bedevils the rest of the 16-acre site.

The Freedom Tower looks to have passed the point of no return. Steel is out of the ground, the PA has awarded over $500 million in contracts and hardly a week passes without one supplier or another crowing over a new contract.

Silverstein, meanwhile, has already awarded more than $1 billion in trade contracts for his towers - including for foundations, curtain walls, elevators and mechanical and electrical trades. He'll award $1 billion over the summer and excavation is well underway for the foundations of towers 3 and 4.

So, what of Ward's doom and gloom? Most of his 15 crisis points involve non-commercial elements of Ground Zero and environs - elements, moreover, that are ill-conceived, unnecessary and/or unlikely to be built as planned in any event.

The issues Ward cited emphasize the too-big memorial; the Santiago Calatrava-designed PATH terminal (a PA ego trip to benefit a few Jersey commuters), and a pointless performing-arts center.

Off-site dilemmas include reopening the Cortlandt Street subway station, which is more the MTA's problem, and the need for a land-swap deal with St. Nicholas Church (where a tiny congregation has been allowed to hold up the PA's need to perform infrastructure work essential to all of Ground Zero.)

Only three of Ward's handwringers could affect the office buildings, and one - a possible redesign of Tower 3 to accommodate a new home for Merrill Lynch - is likely moot, since Merrill grows wobblier by the week.

Despite Ground Zero's notorious "game of inches," neither of Ward's two other worries is likely to prove more than a speed bump in the towers' way. Yes, removing the temporary PATH terminal on Vesey Street could interfere with underground access to the Freedom Tower. And there is a need to reinforce the No. 1 subway line tunnel, which is close to the foundations for towers 3 and 4.

But I'll go out on a limb and suggest that, once the towers are topping off at a cost of billions of dollars in public and private money, the next-door nuisances will manage to solve themselves. At least let's hope so, because the office buildings, not the memorial, are the site's true centerpiece - despite all the politically expedient blathering to the contrary.

Some real-estate developers and brokers fear a "glut" of new office space, but the city has anything but a glut of the kind of space provided by the new towers.

Much of the city's vast office stock is obsolescent or obsolete. Office tenants now demand floor-to-ceiling windows, column-free floors, advanced fiber-optic capacity and environmental benefits - features available in a mere handful of Manhattan buildings.

The new WTC skyscrapers, designed by Sir Norman Foster, David Childs, Richard Rogers and Fumihiko Maki, have all that and more. They will also restore and improve upon a skyline that hasn't been the same since 9/11.

Only the Freedom Tower will reach the height of the old WTC, but they're all enormous, and the composite effect will be breathtaking. Paterson and Ward must see to it that nothing gets in their way.

[NYonward]

Nice to read some positive comments on WTC1 from Cuozzo.

He's right about the PATH terminal. While I love the design and hope it gets built - it's a glorified subway stop for the Path from NJ. If it had some other use, such as a JFK link or NJ Transit commuter rail then it would deserve the structure.

It's sad to see the downtown transit hub a stone's throw away, which actually does serve as a major connection point for multiple subway lines, have its less-glamorous building get the axe.

[NYguy]

This is the point of the whole ground zero "crisis"...

The commercial skyscrapers being built by the PA and Larry Silverstein are the real news out of Ground Zero - not that you'd know it from lazy media coverage....... the office towers aren't in bad shape at all, though they're long overdue and subject to design alterations.

....all four Ground Zero office towers have taken on an irreversible momentum likely to shoulder aside the "whuddum I gonna do?" whining that bedevils the rest of the 16-acre site.

The Freedom Tower looks to have passed the point of no return. Steel is out of the ground, the PA has awarded over $500 million in contracts and hardly a week passes without one supplier or another crowing over a new contract.

Silverstein, meanwhile, has already awarded more than $1 billion in trade contracts for his towers - including for foundations, curtain walls, elevators and mechanical and electrical trades. He'll award $1 billion over the summer and excavation is well underway for the foundations of towers 3 and 4.

For most people, the rebuilding of the WTC is about rebuilding the office towers. But when you read headlines like "ground zero delays", and "WTC rebuilding plan scrapped", people get the impression that nothing is being done and the entire plan has been scrapped.

[NYC4Life]

Now let's worry about getting those Cement Truck drivers back to work.

[philvia]

is the middle left the memorial floor?
and as you can see on middle right, the floor they're getting ready to pour is higher than the concourse floor....... can anyone repost that graphic that has all the subgrade stuff labeled? i can't remember the floor names or anything! lol
http://i31.tinypic.com/w0hqj7.jpg

[CoolCzech]

This is the point of the whole ground zero "crisis"...



For most people, the rebuilding of the WTC is about rebuilding the office towers. But when you read headlines like "ground zero delays", and "WTC rebuilding plan scrapped", people get the impression that nothing is being done and the entire plan has been scrapped.

What it really comes down to is, the politicians made grandiose plans for memorials that are outrageously overblown and extravagant, even as they had no intention of ever making the tough political choices it would take to fund the damned things. Some things never change... and no, I don't "Got Hope" that they ever will.

At least the real attractions of the new World Trade Center - the towers - will rise no matter the politics and bureaucratic infighting.

[scalziand]

Here's an editorial from my local paper:

The debacle at Ground Zero
DEROY MURDOCK

In olden days, Americans need­ed just 13 and a half months to build the Empire State Building, four and a half years to build Hoover Dam, and six years, four months to install the Trans­continental Rail­road. And yet six
years, nine months, three weeks and three days have elapsed since 9/11, and Ground Zero remains an 80-foot-deep inter­national embarrassment for the Unit­ed States.

The government functionaries who fathered this fiasco should yield im­mediately and assign private devel­oper Larry Silverstein to arrange what already should have occurred: the Twin Towers’ return to Ameri­ca’s skyline.

The wholesale lethargy at Ground Zero became painfully clear in the July 1 report on the 16 acres where al-Qaida murdered 2,750 innocents:

■ Overall construction costs and schedules cannot be determined be­cause of 15 pending “essential deci­sions.” Until then, “we are not going to set new dates until we know ex­actly where this project stands,” said the report’s author, executive director Chris Ward of the Port Au­thority of New York and New Jer­sey, the public agency that controls the site.

■ Signature elements such as the Freedom Tower and 9/11 memorial will be incomplete 10 years after the attacks.

■ Reported cost overruns are at least $1.23 billion, and rising rapidly.
Having floundered under the hap­less “leadership” of former New York Gov. George E. Pataki and his clearly distracted successor, Eliot Spitzer, Ground Zero still lacks an effective administrative structure, Ward said. “This has led to indeci­sion that has resulted in significant schedule delays and cost escala­tion.”

He added: “If a project of this size and complexity were being managed by a single owner, with overall con­trol of the design and construction processes, it would be a much sim­pler story altogether.”

Right across Vesey Street from this shambles, veteran real-estate magnate Larry Silverstein produced 7 World Trade Center, an elegant, 52­story high-rise that glistens by day and glows by night.

Opened just four years and eight months after 9/11 and now 75 per­cent full, it is this lugubrious spot’s only sign of hope. Silverstein’s sky­scraper never hints that it stands where twisted debris smoldered for months.

The difference?
Silverstein manages this project with limited government interfer­ence. Conversely, 19 bureaucracies, from Manhattan to Albany to Tren­ton to Washington, wrestle with him at Ground Zero.

“For years, every public official yelled and screamed that no private developer should or could build on ‘sacred ground’ — that the Port Au­thority could do it more quickly and cheaply. Well, look how that turned out,” a Manhattan real-estate execu­tive close to the Ground Zero saga told me. “With 55 years’ experience, Silverstein knows how to build, and how to find tenants. If Larry had been allowed to do what builders do, the site would be completed by now.”

Silverstein signed a 99-year lease on the WTC just seven weeks before Islamofascists demolished it. Never­theless, politicians and pen pushers boss him around. So, they should make him this deal:

■ You bought it. You build it. You earn the rent from your tenants. We collect property taxes from you and commercial and sales taxes from them.

■ If you beat a mutually agreeable deadline, we pay you a bonus that in­creases the sooner you finish. Miss it, and you pay a penalty that grows the longer you delay.

■ Finally, restore the Twin Tow­ers. Public enthusiasm for this effort will propel its completion. And it’s the right thing to do.

Such blueprints already exist.
Twin Towers II, proposed by struc­tural designer Kenneth Gardner and the late Herbert Belton, an original WTC architect, mirrors the sorely missed high rises. Its buildings com­prise a 300-room hotel, 800 condo­miniums, 2 million square feet of retail and 8 million square feet of of­fices. These 1,450-foot, safety-en­hanced structures fit around the Freedom Towers’ foundation and feature 121 floors, 11 more than in their 1,360-foot predecessors. (Visit www.wtc2011.com.) “This is what people have asked for from the beginning,” Gardner notes. “Construction could be under way in six months, if we summon the will.”

The gaping chasm that is Ground Zero screams national paralysis.
Nothing more convincingly would signal to friends and foes alike the defiance of our Founding Fathers than to see the Twin Towers back where they belong — taller, stronger, and prouder than ever.

Deroy Murdock (deroy. murdock @ gmail.com) is a syndicated colum­nist and a media fellow with the Hoover Institution at Stanford Uni­versity.


After shaking my head for a moment at the silliness of yet another 'rebuild the twins' proposal, I realized that this plan is a bit different. It says that the twins should be built in addition to the current plans, not in place of them. It fixes something that always bothered me about the current plans for the wtc: despite all the new construction, it would barely replace the square footage that was lost, with no room for further growth. This is an option for that growth.

[Kamatzu]

^How can it fit around Freedom Tower's foundation if it's the proposal Donald Trump supported? It's a completely new complex altogether.

[aluminum]

Wow ! Twin Towers 2 !! I really like the Idea...

[scalziand]

Shoot. :doh:
I should have read the website first. From the editorial I got the impression that the new twins would be squeezed into the site plan where the memorial is currently planned, in effect becoming the memorial. Towers as a memorial instead of waterfalls as a memorial.

Just wishful thinking:rolleyes:

[NYguy]

That plan is not new, and that isn't the first piece that guy's written on the subject. But what we WON'T do is turn this thread into a "rebuild the Twin Towers" discussion.

[mudvayneimn]

^And that would be greatly appreciated. :)

[philvia]

is the middle left the memorial floor?
and as you can see on middle right, the floor they're getting ready to pour is higher than the concourse floor....... can anyone repost that graphic that has all the subgrade stuff labeled? i can't remember the floor names or anything! lol
http://i31.tinypic.com/w0hqj7.jpg

today they've added a lot more of those concrete columns.. looks to be about 10 now instead of 1 yesterday

[NYC4Life]

Progress is definetely moving foward, despite all of the negativity we so often hear.

[Dac150]

Any idea of where in the Financial Center the underground connector will stem from? My guess is near the Winter Garden, as that is where the former overpass connected to.

I'm still hoping they hang on to that white one that connects into 1 WFC. I don't see any signs of them removing it, but who knows.

[RockMont]

Nice to read some positive comments on WTC1 from Cuozzo.

He's right about the PATH terminal. While I love the design and hope it gets built - it's a glorified subway stop for the Path from NJ. If it had some other use, such as a JFK link or NJ Transit commuter rail then it would deserve the structure.

It's sad to see the downtown transit hub a stone's throw away, which actually does serve as a major connection point for multiple subway lines, have its less-glamorous building get the axe.

Yes It's about high time this cat said something positive about it. Furthermore, I am sick and tired of these idiots in the media, reporting on nothing but cost overruns, delays and rumours of scaling back, and on and on.

JUST GET THE THING BUILT! AND WITH NO STOPPAGES IN BETWEEN!

[Kamatzu]

I'm still hoping they hang on to that white one that connects into 1 WFC. I don't see any signs of them removing it, but who knows.
I've heard this one mentioned a few times, is it the same one that lead to 6WTC? Or did they build an entirely new one?

[Realthang]

today they've added a lot more of those concrete columns.. looks to be about 10 now instead of 1 yesterday

They have also added the first cantilevered beam at the west end of the PATH corrider. Its very big...

[NYguy]

Any idea of where in the Financial Center the underground connector will stem from?
My guess is near the Winter Garden, as that is where the former overpass connected to.

They've been working on that side for a while also. Older pics:

http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/99891316/large.jpg


http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/99891410/large.jpg

They haven't revealed the final design, but from what I remember the concept was something like the last
temporary PATH entrance, not a direct connection inside the WFC.

[thrillbilly]

Has anyone else noticed that Cam 2 from Earthcam has been out for a while now, or is it just me?

[Puzzlecraft]

I mentioned that Cam 2 was gone in a July 3 post. Cam 1 was pointing to the sky for a few days, at least that one is now back to the pit.

[Puzzlecraft]

By the way, looking at Cam 2 reveals that finally, a huge hunk of the old PATH terminal is gone, clear to the ground! Yes, there is progress!

[Kamatzu]

http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/99891410/large.jpg
Whoa! Is that glare from a camera flash or 7WTC? If that's Seven, I hope New York has an increased number of cloudy days in 2011+!

[philvia]

probably a combination of both

[NYC4Life]

The glass facade on 7WTC is very reflective and shiny, so it must be the sun's glare bouncing off. I've taken pics from inside the Winter Garden of the site and never got the camera's flash reflecting off the windows there.

[philvia]

they installed the first arches over the corridor!

[Apathanoia]

That plan is not new, and that isn't the first piece that guy's written on the subject.

He is a long time TwinHippie, dating back to that Justin Berzon book, if not longer. There was no reason to post that article.

I wonder if this article (Ground Zero Delays May Be Criminal (http://gothamist.com/2008/07/08/ground_zero_delays_may_be_criminal.php)) is worth noting. It is most likely pure ineptitude, not crime, that is causing these delays to taking place.

BTW, you are aware that the reflecting pools of the memorial will be up to 25% smaller than the actual WTC footprints, aren't you? I'm sure a some concrete and Home Depot pavers can easily fill in the missing area.

[NYguy]

Whoa! Is that glare from a camera flash or 7WTC?
If that's Seven, I hope New York has an increased number of cloudy days in 2011+!


It's from 7, very reflective. I imagine the Freedom Tower will have a similar effect...

http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/99920484/medium.jpg_http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/76895651/medium.jpg

As a matter of fact, it's been said that Freedom will mirror the sky (like 7 WTC)

http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/76895650/large.jpg

[NYguy]

they installed the first arches over the corridor!

Good to know more progress, I haven't been down there in a couple of weeks.

[Puzzlecraft]

Any pictures of the "arches over the corridor"?

[Kamatzu]

BTW, you are aware that the reflecting pools of the memorial will be up to 25% smaller than the actual WTC footprints, aren't you? I'm sure a some concrete and Home Depot pavers can easily fill in the missing area.
This is the only part that really makes me cringe a little...

[NYguy]

tribecatrib.com

http://www.tribecatrib.com/photos/news/july08/WTC-labeled%20aerial-big.jpg
http://www.tribecatrib.com/photos/news/july08/captions/wtc%20delays.gif

[NYC4Life]

Such a complex site

[NewRussia]

does that mean that the liberty st. pedestrian bridge will be dismantled?

[Dac150]

The pedestrian bridge that will be dismantled is the 'silver' one that runs over the WSH to the GS HQ and 3 WFC. That was placed there to replace the West Street Connector, that connected into the Winter Garden. However once the underground pass is completed and operational, that connector will serve no purpose.

The 'white' one however (which is an original) that connects directly into 1 WFC is still a mystery to me. I don't know the fate of that one, but I do hope it stays.

[Lt. Washburn]

The construction delays are almost as annoying as the delays at getting pictures of the site. ;)

[philvia]

this may have little relevance to 1wtc sorry if this is too offtopic

Port Authority erects first steel for Transportation Hub. Photos taken 7/10/08
http://www.panynj.gov/wtc/drp/gallery/images/WTC_july10_1.jpg
http://www.panynj.gov/wtc/drp/gallery/images/WTC_july10_2.jpg
http://www.panynj.gov/wtc/drp/gallery/images/WTC_july10_3.jpg
http://www.panynj.gov/wtc/drp/gallery/images/WTC_july10_4.jpg
http://www.panynj.gov/wtc/drp/gallery/images/WTC_july10_5.jpg
http://www.panynj.gov/wtc/drp/gallery/images/WTC_july10_6.jpg
http://www.panynj.gov/wtc/drp/gallery/images/WTC_july10_7.jpg

[Muskavon]

nice. The site is going to fill in slowly from all sides and we aren't even going to realize it is all at ground level or above at some point and no more tubs ever to be photographed. Will be a good day when we realize it.

[NYguy]

this may have little relevance to 1wtc sorry if this is too offtopic

http://www.panynj.gov/wtc/drp/gallery/images/WTC_july10_3.jpg


You can almost get a feel for what it will be like down there...

[Dac150]

I for one can't wait to explore the underground of the Trade Center. Even though what we are seeing is minimal, it looks promising.

[NYguy]

JULY 10, 2008

http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/99998031/large.jpg


http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/99998035/large.jpg


http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/99998040/large.jpg


http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/99998042/large.jpg


http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/99998045/large.jpg


http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/99998076/large.jpg


http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/99998133/large.jpg


http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/99998192/large.jpg


Working on the connector from the BPC side...

http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/99998282/large.jpg

[Lt. Washburn]

Thanks for the photos!

[Kamatzu]

I experienced so much joy upon seeing the underground beginning to take shape that I may have to change pants.

Progress is good!

[NYguy]

PA photo from JUNE 19

http://panynj.com/wtc/drp/gallery/images/WTC_june19_7.jpg

[NYC2ATX]

this is the most confusing undertaking ive ever seen in my entire life. We start hearing all these reports of massive delays while the freedom tower is actually growing and the transit hub gets its first steel. I am the only one that doesnt see the link up here?