Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Inflation Worries Hit World Trade Center Transit Hub
By
Jen Chung
Published Apr 16, 2008
Modified Jan 16, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
View all 10
By
Jen Chung
Published Apr 16, 2008
Modified Jan 16, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Of course: Because of budget concerns that could be hundreds of millions in overruns, the Port Authority is looking at ways to save money on the World Trade Center transportation hub design. But while the NY Times initially frightens those of you (and us, frankly) who have fallen in love with Santiago Calatrava's design with the words "the Port Authority has begun preparing plans for a more modest alternative," there is this:
In no case, [PA executive director Anthoy Shorris] said, would the hub lose its aboveground aesthetic signature: an elliptical, ribbed, winged structure that Mr. Calatrava has likened to a bird taking flight: a potent symbol of rebirth at the site of the terrorist attack of Sept. 11, 2001.
“We’re committed to that as an important part of the downtown Manhattan landscape,” Mr. Shorris said.
Whether or not that "aesthetic signature" is downsized is unknown, though. The Port Authority will look at ways of lowering the costs of underground elements (more columns, simpler engineering) but the problem is that construction cost inflation has outpaced engineering innovation.
Below are a few renderings of what the hub is envisioned to be (some designs have been somewhat modified to be "blast-resistant"), complete with a roof that can be opened for ventilation and light. Calatrava has said he wanted the center be feel full of "life, lightness and hope.”
Tagged
ground zero
port authority
santiago calatrava
world trade center
WTC transit hub
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Central Park birders, others remember 63-year-old woman killed in park
People who said they knew her described her as an artist and a familiar presence in the Ramble.
By
Charles Lane
Published Sep 28, 2026 at 7:04 p.m. ET
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
News
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
By
Arya Sundaram
A Brooklyn jail cell filled with smoke. The emergency button failed, a lawyer said.
By
Samantha Max
Crews launch tunnel machines to dig first new Hudson River rail tunnels since 1910
By
Michael Sol Warren
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .