Work continues 85 feet below street level

Though it’s difficult to see the action 85 feet below grade, the east bathtub floor is an active construction site for Silverstein Properties. The World Trade Center (WTC) developer has been steadily preparing the site of Towers 3 and 4 since the Port Authority handed it over in February.

Speaking to Community Board 1’s WTC Redevelopment Committee on June 9th, Silverstein’s Tower 3 Construction Director Sean Johnson said that preparations for the southern half of the east bathtub are moving along on schedule. Contractor Tishman Construction is heading up the work, which for now includes precise soil and rock blasting and excavation for the towers’ footings, as well as final slurry wall reinforcements.

At the southernmost quadrant of the east bathtub, crews are also dewatering a deep pool left over from an ancient glacial swirl. The pool eventually will be filled with concrete, creating a hard surface upon which Tower 4’s foundation can be built.

Silverstein’s team of more than 150 architects, designers, geotechnical specialists, and engineers continue to collaborate at 7 WTC’s 10th-floor “design studio.” Joined by members of the Tishman team, their joint efforts are key to keeping the towers’ development on schedule to open by 2012.