On the anniversary of the terrorist attack on the Pentagon, the charred, gaping gash in the side of the building has been repaired.

Where the structure of the E-ring was reduced to rubble, offices have once again been created. Not only has the most heavily damaged area of the building been restored, but many of its occupants have returned as well. The Phoenix Project is living up to its name.

Michael R. Sullivan, deputy program manager of the Pentagon Renovation Program said, “When we established our goal last October to reoccupy the point of attack by Sept. 11 of this year, many people did not believe this was feasible and while the renovation program carries an excellent reputation, did not think we would make it.”

In fact, the first tenants returned to the building 28 days ahead of schedule on Aug. 15. Approximately 3,000 of the 4,600 people who were displaced by the attack returned to the building by the anniversary date.

“This is a major program achievement,” Sullivan said. “It took every person to make a seemingly impossible goal a reality. The dedication of everyone to put in the long hours, seven-day work weeks, time away from your families and friends, and to overcome problems and issues in real time is nothing short of remarkable and unprecedented.”

Bleachers 40-ft. (12.1 m) tall are being built at the construction site for a Sept. 11 ceremony, which is expected to involve approximately 10,000 people. Invited guests will include family members of those who lost their lives in the attack, workers from the project, and dignitaries.

A total of 2 million sq. ft. (185,806 sq m) of office space was structurally damaged by the plane, involving five floors, three rings and two wedges of the Pentagon. So far, 400,000 sq. ft. (37,161 sq m) has been demolished and rebuilt by the Pentagon Renovation Program.

The Wedge 1/Phoenix project manager for the Pentagon Renovation Program is Dave Gabel. The prime contractor is AMEC, and structural engineers are KCE, Washington, D.C.

Demolition was completed in 32 days and involved removing 50,000 tons (45,000 t) of debris from the site. At the peak of construction, 1,000 workers were on the site each day. A total of 3,000 people are involved in the rebuilding effort, and three million hours have been dedicated to the Phoenix Project so far. Only two lost-time accidents have been reported, both of which were minor hand injuries.

According to Rachel Decker, communications specialist of the Pentagon Renovation Program, the estimated cost of the total reconstruction project is currently $501 million. Plans are to have D and C Ring completed and occupied by the spring of 2003.

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