The city has announced that parts of West Street will be closed so searchers can look for remains from the World Trade Center attacks. Last October, Con Ed workers excavating a manhole found human remains, leading to renewed searches which have since yielded over 400 bone fragments.
According to the NY Times, a memo Deputy Mayor Edward Skyler sent to Mayor Bloomberg noted that closing West Street was necessary so workers could excavate recently discovered access ramps: "Without closing parts of West Street to allow workers to excavate the ramps beneath, officials would have to wait until its planned reconstruction by the state, expected in 2008 or 2009, the memo said." With an alternative like that, lane closures seem much more palatable.
Last fall, officials admitted that the initial search for remains was rushed, noting there was pressure to start development and promised to search thoroughly this go-around. Still, families and some local politicians wish the city would involve the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, which has experience in body recovery, in the search.
