Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
More WTC Squabbling AND Freedom Tower May Open In 2018
By
Jen Chung
Published Aug 4, 2009
Modified Aug 4, 2009
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 .
Gothamist
View all 6
By
Jen Chung
Published Aug 4, 2009
Modified Aug 4, 2009
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
Another week, another World Trade Center dispute! Since the Port Authority—which controls the land at Ground Zero—and WTC leaseholder Larry Silverstein have been at odds over the funding of the massive redevelopment project, Governor Paterson decided to personally negotiate with Silverstein a few weeks ago. Paterson had given Silverstein an ultimatum to work with the PA or get out. But Silverstein has rejected Paterson's development proposals—the NY Times reports that in Silverstein's eyes, those plans "were unlikely to lead to building two of three skyscrapers planned for the World Trade Center site," which is what Mayor Bloomberg and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver want, too.
According to the Post, Paterson sent a letter to Silverstein, saying that "he directed the PA to redesign key public projects at the site, including the Calatrava transit hub, so that they can be built even if Silverstein's two towers do not go forward," stating, "This will ensure that, should you and the Port Authority not be able to reach an agreement, the site will no longer be subject to the fate of the real-estate market or these negotiations." But a fight with Silverstein could drag the matter into months of arbitration.
In the other WTC news, the Daily News got a hold of a "secret report" from the Lower Manhattan Construction Command Center that projects a 2018 opening for Freedom Tower/1 World Trade Center—four years later than last year's estimate. Plus: "The report says the grandiose transportation hub may not be ready until 2018, while the Sept. 11 Memorial, the site's emotional centerpiece, could be two years behind its 2011 deadline." The PA, which said that the transit hub will be open June 2014, while the memorial will be open either 2011 and 2012, denied the report, with a spokesman saying, "The dates are wrong. Our comprehensive analysis, completed every month, shows we are on schedule to meet the completion dates we released last October."
Tagged
freedom tower
governor paterson
larry silverstein
port authority
world trade center
wtc
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
Inside the plan to fix the nearly collapsed Pfizer Building, 1/64th of an inch at a time
Construction crews will jack up sagging floors where two key structural columns bent in July.
By
David Brand
Published Oct 16, 2026 at 1:54 p.m. ET
School bus carrying autistic students got lost in Brooklyn for 4 hours last year
A city investigation discovered that when the bus arrived at its destination in Crown Heights, one student was lying in a pool of urine.
By
Jessica Gould
News
School bus carrying autistic students got lost in Brooklyn for 4 hours last year
A city investigation discovered that when the bus arrived at its destination in Crown Heights, one student was lying in a pool of urine.
By
Jessica Gould
NYC’s bridges can last 'forever,' if we take care of them
By
Clayton Guse
Queens mother charged with murder in death of 5-year-old daughter, NYPD says
By
Ryan Kost
NYC’s whiplash weather continues into weekend with heavy winds, chilly temps, NWS says
By
Monica Melton
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 .