World Trade Center PATH Transit Hub Building Starts

Praise be: The NY Times reports that building of the new World Trade Center have commenced with the first work on Santiago Calatrava's PATH transit hub for the Port Authority. Workers constructed a wooden trough that will become a retaining wall for a future, temporary PATH train placement (if you like learning about where the rebar goes, you'll love this article). And while some September 11 victims' groups want to stop the Port Authority's building, the Port Authority is moving on. The Times asked the PA's chairman "about the absence of fanfare yesterday," and Anthony R. Coscia replied, "I think people have become so jaded by the inordinate amount of ceremonies that have occurred at that site - disproportionate to what's actually happened - that I didn't want to add to that. This is about actually building." Thank you, Mr. Coscia, as we'd gladly trade all the pomp and circumstance for something constructive, if you forgive the pun, to happen at Ground Zero. While Governor Pataki told the Today show earlier this week (while he was at the Top of the Rock) that building on the rest of the World Trade Center plan would start next year, we're doubtful any of the buildings will get done on schedule because of all the political bickering and manuvering.

And an interesting fact: Parsons Brinckerhoff, one of the construction manager-partners, in this project, also design New York City's first subway line, the IRT!

Photograph from the NY Times

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By Jen Chung in News on November 4, 2005 9:18 AM

Comments [rss]

Toby

Its still weird taking PATH to the WTC, as it still gives me chills when traveling from New Jersey (although I am somewhat convinced the only reason the Port Authority kept the name is because they are too cheap to change any of their signs) and you see daylight. Then I get pissed at the tourists who are taking photos and gawking as well as the damn vendors who are trying to make a buck around there.

What needs to be done is replace what was missing but bigger and better not the crushed soda can called the "Freedom Tower" and the other garbage they want to stick down there.

Toby

Its still weird taking PATH to the WTC, as it still gives me chills when traveling from New Jersey (although I am somewhat convinced the only reason the Port Authority kept the name is because they are too cheap to change any of their signs) and you see daylight. Then I get pissed at the tourists who are taking photos and gawking as well as the damn vendors who are trying to make a buck around there.

What needs to be done is replace what was missing but bigger and better not the crushed soda can called the "Freedom Tower" and the other garbage they want to stick down there.

tien

we've been installing some plugins. but typekey hasn't been giving me any issues.

Tim N.

Guys... you gotta get this typekey thing straightend out! Sorry for the multiple posts, but I kept getting network errors... whassup?

Tim N.

First smart move at Ground Zero since, well, since it became Ground Zero.

PS: And, as usual, Pataki's wrong. He's one of those guys you just want to pull a John McLaughlin on and follow him around all day and every time he opens his mouth you bark out "WRONG!"

"This tie goes with this jacket." "Wrong!"

"I'll be at that meeting in five minutes." "Wrong!"

"We're gonna start building the Freedom Tower this year." "Wrong!"

saltydog

Not really related, but I recently rode the Path train to/from WTC and Jersey City. I was not prepared for the return trip to NYC during which the train rolls literally through the open WTC site. It was a unique, up-close look at the site, and it was quite moving for me. If you can handle it, I would recommend taking this ride before too much construction begins.