Work is up to the 86 floor on 1 WTC

Nearly 1,000 workers are now at work building what will soon be New York’s tallest skyscraper, 1 World Trade Center (WTC). The tower, under construction since late 2008, now stands 86 stories tall, on its way to topping out at 104 stories of steel in the first quarter of 2012.

Across the site, 4 WTC steel has reached the 44th floor, also set to top out in early 2012 at 64 stories. Already its sub-grade construction is more than 90 percent complete, with utilities and concrete pours steadily progressing on upper stories.

The construction update was presented to Community Board 1’s WTC committee by the Port Authority and Silverstein Properties this week. The Port Authority’s Assistant Director of WTC Construction Quentin Brathwaite reported several more rebuilding milestones, including that the Port’s work on the western concourse, also called the “east-west connector,” is expected to be complete by the end of this year. It then will be turned over to World Financial Center owner Brookfield Properties for finishing work that will tie into the new entry house at the Winter Garden.

At the WTC’s south end, Brathwaite said that excavation in the south bathtub for Vehicular Security Center (VSC) construction is proceeding at an accelerated pace at the 130 Liberty Street site. On the site’s west side, a new crane was recently installed to lift in oversized steel members that will form the substructure.

Running through the center of the WTC’s 16 acres, the Port Authority is rebuilding Greenwich Street. Brathwaite told CB1 that the intersection of Liberty and Greenwich Street will open first, though that date is still some time away. But the opening of Greenwich Street will proceed one segment at a time from south to north, up to Vesey Street.

The Port Authority also continues its foundation work for the Transportation Hub, which includes formation of the oculus substructure. It will mark the Hub above street level, topping the multi-level main hall, whose total square footage is roughly the equivalent of three football fields.

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