The Freedom Tower

Last month, as the result of Governor Paterson’s call for a more transparent and accountable process, the Downtown Express presented “a roadmap to get the World Trade Center rebuilding on track — one that outlined aggressive yet realistic timelines for all of the major projects, as well as interim milestones so the public can track the Port Authority’s progress and hold us accountable.

The Port Authority is now hard at work on our next challenge: the need not only to rebuild the World Trade Center as quickly as possible, but to improve the quality of life for residents and businesses located around this very active construction site.

It’s easy to understand the anxiety and frustration that Lower Manhattan residents and businesses have experienced since Sept. 11. In the five months since becoming executive director of the Port Authority, you have shared with me stories of sleepless nights due to late-night construction, dirty and congested streets, and difficulties navigating around an ever-expanding construction zone.

As the level of construction activity ramps up, we will ramp up our efforts to be better neighbors. This starts with a basic premise: the construction on the site has to move forward, but at the same time we must listen to those most affected by the site’s construction, and find ways to improve their quality of life.

To facilitate this effort, we recently created an Office of Program Logistics, which is now the focal point for mitigating the byproducts of a massive construction site. This office will provide regular updates to residents and businesses and will be the point of contact for anyone who believes we can do things better.
To staff that office, we hired renowned traffic expert Sam Schwartz, who will help us develop creative solutions that will improve the movement of people, vehicles and equipment around the site.
Workers lift steel for the Freedom Tower, right next to the east-west underground passageway from the train station, just two pieces to the new World Trade Center site plan.”