Thomas J. O'Connor is a senior engineer of construction for the World Trade Center Construction Department and is responsible for managing the construction of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum.
Mr. O'Connor has nearly 30 years of experience in project management and engineering construction activities, including the restoration of the temporary World Trade Center PATH Station and major construction projects at John F. Kennedy International and LaGuardia airports.
Note: More than 25 questions were submitted regarding construction progress on the 9/11 Memorial & Museum. Repetitive or similar questions were folded into one.
Q. How long will it take the Port Authority to build the new pavilion while allowing the PATH trains to continue running? Will they continue to deconstruct tracks in addition to those already dismantled in order to build up the foundational support for the building? Can substantial work only be done at night and on weekends in order not to halt PATH trains? – Josh, New York, N.Y.
A. Josh, construction of the Memorial Museum pavilion steel, which will serve as the main entrance to the below-ground Memorial Museum, will begin this summer and be fully completed by the second quarter of 2013, with the steel frame erected by the 10th anniversary. As with all of our projects, we continue to look at ways to improve our schedule, and believe we can beat this date, but as of now we are holding to our October 2008 assessment commitment. This steel will be erected during PATH outages at night, but no additional PATH tracks will be affected.
Q. What are the structures being built near Route 9A going to be used for? And when will the area around the future Memorial Museum pavilion be brought to street level? – Nick, Womelsdorf, PA
A. The structures being built in the western portion of the Memorial Plaza adjacent to Route 9A are vent structures. They will serve the dual purpose of providing ventilation for the Transportation Hub and Museum, while also providing access for materials to get below ground and possibly light concession on the Memorial Plaza. On your second question, the area around the pavilion will be brought to street level by the third quarter of 2011, which will meet our commitment to open the Memorial Plaza by the 10th anniversary.
Q. When will construction start on the museum building? – Zack, Baltimore, MD
A. We will begin installing structural steel for the Memorial Museum pavilion this summer. As I previously mentioned, the Museum will be completed by the second quarter of 2013.
Q. With all of the noise generated from the nearby PATH lines and the hustle and bustle of the New York City streets, what noise reduction systems will be in use at the Memorial to ensure that it is a quiet place to reflect on past events? – Samuel, Syracuse, UT.
A. The Port Authority is committed to making the Memorial a quiet reflective place. Since the PATH tracks are located approximately 70 feet below the Memorial Plaza with many layers of steel and concrete in between, we believe this will effectively mitigate the noise resulting from PATH trains arriving and departing from the site. The surrounding trees and running water from the two reflecting pools also will mitigate noise from the nearby streets.
Q. Will the entire Memorial and Museum be fully finished inside and out by 9/11/11 or only a majority of it? – James, Dupage, ILL
A. We've committed to opening the Memorial Plaza for the 10th anniversary and we are on schedule to meet that commitment. As we have said since our 2008 Assessment, the Museum will open by 2013. That schedule remains on track as well.
Q. I've noticed in some of the renderings and photos of the construction that it appears that the water level from the upper section around the perimeter of the pools will be elevated above the ground level, about to visitors' waist level. Could you give the reason for this elevation, and are you concerned that it will interfere with visitors' line of sight and reduce their ability to see over the edge of the waterfall into the pool? – Ryan, Baton Rouge, LA
A. The troughs around the perimeter of the fountains are filled with water to ensure a consistent, uniform flow over the weir. This element of the fountain design does not interfere with the visitors' line of sight nor does it reduce the ability to see over the edge into the fountains.
Q. How many gallons of water will each Memorial pool contain? – Chris, Holmdel, N.J.
A. Each Memorial pool can hold 450,000 gallons of water, the equivalent of filling up 50 Empire State Buildings with water.
Q. When do you expect to finish the granite tile installation in the South Pool? – Bradley, Tampa, FL
A. Bradley, we expect to complete the South Pool granite installation in the 4th quarter of this year. We have already completed the granite installation in the North Pool.
Q. When will they begin to test the waterfalls in the pools? When will construction of the Memorial Museum building begin? – Ross, Johnston County, IA
A. As I've previously mentioned, we will begin installation of the Memorial pavilion steel this summer. We'll begin testing the waterfalls in the 2nd quarter of 2011.
Q. When do you plan to put in the tridents for the Memorial Museum? -- Rob, Fairhaven, VT
A. Rob, the tridents – the signature pieces of steel that were recovered from the remains of the World Trade Center following the 9/11 attacks – will be returned to the site in the 4th quarter of this year. These steel members are so big that the pavilion needs to be built around them.
Q. The Memorial site is scheduled for opening on the 10th anniversary of 9/11. Will the fountains be operating? When will the Museum and pavilion open? – Joe, Cambridge, MA
A. Yes, the fountains will be operational for the 10th anniversary. As mentioned above, the museum and pavilion will be open by 2013.
Q. Will the base of the Memorial pools have the same granite tiles that were installed on the walls? – George, N.Y., N.Y.
A. No. The horizontal surfaces in each of the Memorial pools will be covered with concrete pavers.
Q. Where will the first set of trees be placed on the Memorial Plaza? When will the Memorial pools start to function and have the waterfalls working? – Michael, East Brunswick, N.J.
A. We expect that the first trees will be placed in the Memorial Plaza before the 9th anniversary this year, and will be placed in an area between the north and south reflecting pools. Additional trees will continue to be placed throughout the following year. As I mentioned previously, testing of the waterfalls will begin in the 2nd quarter of 2011.
Q. I have heard that the Memorial pools have taken shape and that the granite has been completed in the North Pool. I don't see any visible construction on the Museum. Has Museum construction started? –- Helene, Longwood, FL
A. Helene, the Museum construction is entirely below ground and is well under way. You can find photos of the below-ground construction in the image gallery on our World Trade Center Web site – www.wtcprogress.com.
Q. When the Memorial is completed, how much access will there be to Greenwich Street and to the PATH Station? Will there be a new entrance? – Bo, New York, N.Y.
A. Bo, when the Memorial is opened for the 10th anniversary, there will be access from the south side of Greenwich Street. The PATH entrance will remain at its current location at Vesey and Greenwich streets until the World Trade Center Transportation Hub opens in 2014.
Q. Will the Museum have the original Koenig sphere inside it and will it have other recovered artifacts? – Jordan, N.Y., N.Y.
A. Jordan, the 9/11 Memorial & Museum is working on the selection of artifacts for the Museum. For the information on the development of the Memorial Museum, please visit www.national911memorial.org.
