Growing the Region News

Vol.3, No. 5, July 2008

Port Authority Provides
World Trade Center Assessment

At the request of New York Governor David A. Paterson, The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey released an assessment June 30 of the construction schedule and cost estimates for the World Trade Center site rebuilding project.

Executive Director Chris Ward said that significant progress has been made on all of the disparate projects at the site since the Port Authority took over management of the project in 2006 and that the agency had begun a new way of doing business. However, the report also concluded that the schedule and cost estimates of the rebuilding effort that have been communicated to the public are not realistic.

“The question surrounding the World Trade Center rebuilding is not if all of the projects will be built, rather when and for how much,” Mr. Ward told the Board.

Mr. Ward noted that the complexity of the project along with the number of stakeholders involved in the various construction elements has contributed to the problems. As a result, the Port Authority is proposing a more efficient, centralized decision-making structure –
a steering committee – with authority to make final decisions on matters that fundamentally drive schedule and cost.

On July 1, Mr. Ward gave a speech at a breakfast meeting of The Alliance For Downtown New York / Downtown Lower Manhattan Association. Mr. Ward presented the assessment, which for the first time identified and detailed the key roadblocks to moving the project forward faster and more cost effectively, to this group of business leaders.

Click to view an archived Web cast of the Port Authority’s June 30 Board meeting with Executive Director Christopher Ward’s presentation of the World Trade Center Assessment (begins at time 3:21 in web cast)

China Center to Lease Space at Freedom Tower

At its monthly meeting June 30, the Port Authority’s Board of Commissioners authorized an agreement with China Center New York LLC for space in One World Trade Center, the Freedom Tower. China Center, the first private-sector office tenant committed to the building, will lease approximately 190,000 square feet of office space on parts of the 64th floor, and the entire 65th through 69th floors, and approximately 5,000 square feet of storage space.

Construction Highlights from the World Trade Center Site

(click on image to view full-size photo)

Click to view a video of recent Freedom Tower construction work.	Workers install steel rebar before pouring concrete for the subgrade foundation of the Freedom Tower.	Concrete is poured for the foundation of the Freedom Tower.
Two giant tower cranes hover above the subgrade construction of the Freedom Tower.	The concrete core of the Freedom Tower rises to street level.	Work crews continue to build the subgrade core for the Freedom Tower.

First Set of New PATH Cars Arrives at Port

The first set of new PATH rail passenger cars arrived at the Port of New York and New Jersey on June 11 and are part of the new fleet of cars that will fully replace the current PATH fleet. The car replacement program is a major component of the Port Authority's $3.3 billion PATH capital and modernization program, which will increase system capacity by 25 percent, improve reliability, and transform the oldest rail system in the country into one of the newest. Additional details are available on the Port Authority’s Web site.

The first of the new PATH Rail Cars is unloaded at the Port of New York and New Jersey

News Briefs

”Build a Career. Build a Region.” To view job openings at the Port Authority, visit www.JoinThePortAuthority.com.

Did You Know?

John F. Kennedy International Airport, originally known as New York International Airport, opened 60 years ago, on July 1, 1948.

Public Meetings

The next Port Authority Board of Commissioners meeting will be held on July 24, 2008. Visit www.panynj.gov to view minutes and board actions from previous board meetings and Web casts of the June 30 board and committee meetings.