The World Trade Center site in July 2011

With less than two months until the World Trade Center Memorial plaza opens to the public, downtown stakeholders heard the latest construction updates at this week's Community Board 1 WTC committee meeting. Though unlike prior updates from the Port Authority, this one took notably less time -- a result of steady rebuilding at the site, and simplified updates that consisted more of the latest photos of major projects than explanations of their complexities.

Silverstein Properties hosted the meeting on July 11th at 7 WTC's new 10th floor marketing center, where attendees could plainly see from the window the site's rapidly rising steel, newly framed concrete, glassy Memorial Pavilion, and 160 leafy swamp white oak trees blanketing the plaza.

"Weve been coming before Community Board 1 for ten years now on this project, and I can tell you its a vast, unbelievable difference between now and 2001," said Glenn Guzi, Port Authority program director. "What's even more amazing about being here tonight, is that the renderings weve shown you for years is actually what [the site is beginning to] look like."

At 1 WTC, the steel frame is now up to floors 73 and 74, with about another 10 stories to be added by the 9/11/11 anniversary. The buildings glass faade is now cladding the future 1,776-foot-tall tower up to floor 48. The Port Authoritys Assistant Director of WTC Construction Quentin Brathwaite also noted that in May, the agency signed an agreement to lease one million square feet of the tower to publisher Cond Nast.

On the towers south side, the east-west connector continues to be built out as the underground pedestrian link from Battery Park City into the main Transportation Hub. The link is slated to open in late 2012, with the Port coordinating its western access point with Brookfield Properties Winter Garden pavilion construction.

The Hub's signature structural steel ribs also are being installed in the connector, while the super columns on which they will stand to form the oculus are now being installed and welded in the main site. Some of those steel members span as long as 30 feet, with the main halls total square footage amounting to the size of three football fields.

Excavation for the future Vehicular Security Center (VSC) also is ongoing in the southernmost part of the site. Crews continue to install secants walls and piles for rock removal, including hoe-ram use and blasting, and have started work inside the former 130 Liberty Street area -- now called Site 5. VSC construction is on a "very aggressive schedule," according to Brathwaite, with crews working daily from approximately 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. (until 11 p.m. on weekends) to accelerate the project.

At the south end of Site 5, along Albany Street, Brathwaite said his agency is building the temporary Welcome Site for WTC Memorial visitors. It will serve as the gathering point for Memorial visitor pass-holders before they are led into the plaza through a new entrance at West and Liberty Streets.

The Memorial plaza itself is looking more complete with every passing day, with 220 trees to be planted by 9/11/11, all of the bronze name panels now installed around the reflecting pools, and waterfall testing now taking place in both pools. The Memorial Pavilion is completely clad in its glass facade, and artifacts continue to be installed in the underground Museum for the September 2012 opening.

On the WTC's east side, 4 WTC steel now stands 32 stories tall, while 2 and 3 WTC foundation steel and concrete is quickly rising. Janno Lieber, Silversteins president of WTC development, expects that by spring 2012 a decision will be made about whether or not to order steel to continue building Tower 3s full superstructure.

Related Links