I was sickened to learn that Port Authority will take even more time to build the Freedom Tower and its accompanying structures at the World Trade Center. An announcement today is expected to confirm that the 2012 deadline—already 11 years after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks—will undoubtedly be pushed back a few years.
Personally, instead of a 1,776-foot-tall monstrosity, I would have preferred an open grass area and meditative tree-lined walkways. But, the bottom line is that the structure is not being built—at least not at a normal pace, anyway.
Developers, city government, and the Port Authority decided to build an unpleasantly tall building—the largest in the city—with a huge amount of office space to ensure that lower Manhattan keeps its reputation as the financial center of the world. But instead of really putting their money where their mouths were, the project has flopped, with construction only beginning in earnest about five years after the attacks.
Ground was first broken for the original World Trade Center towers in 1966, with the first building finished by 1970 and the second by 1972. That's a mere six years from the start of laying the foundation to the opening of the buildings.
This isn't to only point a finger at the Port Authority, but more toward the management of the whole affair, which includes elected state and city officials and Silverstein Properties. I have to wonder if city officials really had a hand in shaping the Freedom Tower and what kind of priority they assigned to this project.
Sure, free condoms and lubricant are great; enforcing a ban on trans fat and mandatory calorie postings in city restaurants are great; and more police keeping law and order on the streets is great—but at what cost? What would really be great is if our government would use our tax money to get something meaningful done and fix the gaping hole in the Financial District.
For feedback please e-mail evan.mantyk@epochtimes.com
Feeds