According to Chris Ward, executive director of the Port Authority of New York/New Jersey, construction of the memorial at the site of the 9/11 attacks to the World Trade Center towers will be completed in time for the 10th anniversary of the tragedy this September. The New Jersey newspaper Asbury Park Press interviewed Ward about the obstacles this important project has faced which threatened the achievement of the 10-year deadline. In 2008, the port authority appointed Ward to take over the lead of the project, and Ward is happy to report that the team has “turned the project around”.
The article reports:
“The memorial plaza will feature two large squares where the Twin Towers stood, with water constantly flowing in and out of them. By the time the plaza opens, officials will have planted about 220 of the more than 300 oak trees the site will eventually include.
“And visitors will be able to read the names of the nearly 3,000 victims on walls.”
Other components of the site will continue to progress over the next few years. Ward stated:
“New Yorkers judge progress by skyscrapers. New York City will have its exclamation point in One World Trade Center.”
He informed the Asbury Park Press that the 104-story office building will have 80 stories completed by the anniversary and that it will be completed sometime in 2012.
More details about the plans for the rest of the new complex, including how it is being funded and what some critics’ objections about its design are included in the article.
According to the official visitor information website for the Memorial, there will be a dedication ceremony held on September 11, 2011 for the victims’ families, and the Memorial will open to the public the following day. Those wishing to see the Memorial in person will need to reserve a visitor pass for a specific date and time on the website.
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