Like thousands of others, the residents in Weehawken, N.J., across the river from lower Manhattan, rallied around to help the rescue effort on Sept. 11, 2001.
On that day, a flotilla of boats ranging from commercial ferries to private craft plied back and forth, evacuating an estimated 60,000 people from New York City across the Hudson River to safety.
The Weehawken 9/11 memorial will be constructed in Port Imperial near the former site of the ferry terminal, a waterfront location that is part of a stretch of Hudson County shoreline now dedicated to the tragedy.
Short Hills, N.J., real estate developer and management company Roseland Property Company is overseeing construction of the memorial and also covering its cost.
“It is an honor and a privilege for Roseland Property Company to join in a public/private partnership with the township of Weehawken in the creation of a monument to commemorate not only those who perished on September 11, 2001, but to those first responders and citizens who aided the survivors that were transported across the Hudson River on ferries to be treated for their injuries,” said a Roseland Property Company spokesperson.
“The two steel trident beams recovered from the World Trade Center will be placed in a prominent area of the Port Imperial Linear Park on the Hudson River and will provide a lasting memory of that tragic event for generations.”
The memorial will be at the center of a small circular park featuring seating and a grove of trees. The park will offer a view of the river and New York City. The memorial itself will be a pool with a fountain and an arch formed of the two 30 ft. tall and 16 ft. wide beams from Ground Zero. The position of the arch in relation to the seating will direct the visitor’s gaze to the exact spot where the Twin Towers once stood.
Speaking at a groundbreaking ceremony held on April 20, 2011, and attended by state and county officials and representatives of the Port Authority of New York and local fire, police, and rescue workers among others, Weehawken Mayor Richard F. Turner recalled five Weehawken residents who died in the attacks and predicted visitors to the memorial site would know it as a place where people helped each other.
Belle Associates LLC, based in Fairfield, N.J., is construction manager of the job. Work began on the project at the end of April, and the completion date is September 2011.
“The job involves typical construction procedures as dictated by working along the waterfront of the Hudson River,” a Belle Associates spokesperson said. “Piles were driven for support of the fountain and structural members from the World Trade Center, and a Demag AC1200 500-ton hydraulic crane will be used to set these structural pieces in the memorial area.
“Other equipment involved includes a Junttan PM 25 pile driving rig, a Caterpillar 314 excavator, a Caterpillar drum roller, a Caterpillar 426 backhoe, a Caterpillar D5 dozer, a Lull 1044C-54 forklift for masonry material, Bobcats, Wacker sheep roller, and miscellaneous Wacker compactors,” he added.
A number of subcontractors are involved in the job, including MG Forge Construction LLC of Wayne, N.J. (pile driving); ML Construction, based in Passaic, N.J. (general site work, site concrete, and hardscape); and Flair Fountains Inc., of Minneapolis, Minn. (waterproofing, fountain concrete and equipment).
Pillari Brothers Inc., based in Howell, N.J., is handling landscaping and Cirilli Plumbing & Heating of Totowa, N.J., has been engaged for installation of water main. Clem’s Ornamental Iron Works, headquartered in Piscataway, N.J., is providing metal railings and S&R Steel Construction LLC of Bath, Pa., is in charge of the setting of structural elements.
The memorial structure will be kept under wraps until its dedication, which will take place in time for observation of the tenth anniversary of 9/11 on Sept. 11, 2011. CEG
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