WTC Transit Hub - by Santiago Calatrava

[uakoops]

I guess that means that the rest of the supercolumns and truss sections will be installed really soon!

[Newarkguy]

How many stories /floors high is it now?

[lofter1]

The crane that stood just north of the Pavilion isn't much more than a stub now ...

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And what's that they've put in down at the foot of Cortland, just east of Greenwich? Buried Treasure???

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[MidtownGuy]

The Pavilion looks smooth and sexy from above.

can't wait to watch the above ground portion of the Calatrava hub rise up, like a phoenix.:)

[Newarkguy]

How many stories /floors high is it now?Oops! I meant to post this at the 1 world trade center site.

[RoldanTTLB]

More bits in waiting:

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5232/5830331477_855981a3e5_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/7799907@N05/5830331477/)

[Newarkguy]

Will there be an underground mall concourse connecting to PATH HUB? Just like the old WTC did?

[uakoops]

And what's that they've put in down at the foot of Cortland, just east of Greenwich? Buried Treasure???



I wonder if you're not far off the mark there. It looks like it could be a vault. I think there was one under the original WTC that was full of Federal Reserve gold.

[BStyles]

The US Customs House (6WTC), housed thousands of dollars worth of gold that had to be excavated, and recovered, on 9/11. No such vault will return to the site since it is more of a public space than its predecessor.

The two bottom-most levels of the eastern complex will provide parking for the Vehicle Security Center. The two above will be part of the mall, and yes, the mall will be connected to the Transit Hub, the World Financial Center, all of the towers, and the Fulton Street Transit Center, up the street, on Broadway.

I wonder if they ever thought of connecting 7WTC again?

[stache]

Good idea.

[325ccr]

people may or may not be interested in this...

timelapse of them hammering a footing in Feb I took.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_5b90Z7sPs&feature=relmfu

[LightningEagle]

new piece of box Girder **? has been delivered overnight

http://img808.imageshack.us/img808/5972/unledwk.jpg

[ZippyTheChimp]

I tried to look up box grinder.

Urban Dictionary was no help at all.

[RoldanTTLB]

Here's some good photos....

http://www.subchat.com/read.asp?Id=1076683

[325ccr]

next weeks 96 ton and under for the east and west box truss on the hub. Also waiting on super columns from Canada.

[marnegator]

I thought the two remaining super columns were already at the WTC? Aren't they being worked on under the two tents near the 18000?

[uakoops]

They have removed the tent off one of them and it looks like the 18000 may be setting up to lift it.

[ZippyTheChimp]

Reason: spelling edit / thanks zippy / DOH I would have edited it myself, but I really wasn't sure if such a thing existed.

[Daquan13]

Will there be an underground mall concourse connecting to PATH HUB? Just like the old WTC did?




Don't know how true it is, but I read somewhere that there would be some stores in the underground infrastructure of WTC 1. I don't think that there will be a full underground mall though. Most of the stuff will probably be at street level.

In the underground pedestrian / foot tunnel that connects between the WTC & the WFC, I think there will be some stores along the way on both sides of the tunnel.

[ZippyTheChimp]

About 200,000 sq ft of retail in the two level underground concourse.

[uakoops]

They have removed the tent off one of them and it looks like the 18000 may be setting up to lift it.

The tent is back on it, but they did place the box girder piece last night.

[arcman210]

In the connector from the WFC to the PATH hub, there will be a single loaded retail corridor (I believe it will have two levels) with a connection into 1WTC. The other side of the corridor will not have retail.

[ZippyTheChimp]

The WTC concourse in 1996


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeKQRylftuo

[325ccr]

looks like the manitowoc 14000 rig is leaving today

[325ccr]

stayed there to watch the disassembly on saturday night

5871372429_91775a793a_o.jpg


(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3187/5871372429_91775a793a_o.jpg)btw....127ton piece coming thursday night:eek:

EDIT ^113.2 tons

[325ccr]

the load is delayed until tuesday night,

[325ccr]

last night

5909189967_0c301c9dd6_b.jpg


(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5073/5909189967_0c301c9dd6_b.jpg)

[BiggieSmalls]

is that a piece of the West Box Girder for under the pavillion??

[325ccr]

is that a piece of the West Box Girder for under the pavillion??

Supor (the heavy hauler guys) told me that it supports the street, subway and PATH hall. I dont know what it actually does but that is what they told me

[uakoops]

It looks like the bottom chord piece for the south end of the West Truss where the diagonal attaches to it. Maybe we'll see them lift it in tonight.

BTW they are removing the decking on top of the subway box. I imagine that there will be cross beams going in to tie the tops of the trusses together so they don't flex.

I miss Zen, he would be loving this.... :(

[uakoops]

Here's the same piece sitting in the pit waiting to be installed.
http://img851.imageshack.us/img851/8050/trusspart.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/851/trusspart.jpg/)
Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)

[BiggieSmalls]

looks like they are ready to lift an east bathtub super column to nite. The tent is off an the crane is in position.

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edit: FALSE ALARM.. Still on the deck. Those gray things are the tents covering the super column for welding

[Daquan13]

What are those 2 large gray looking things down there sitting side by side?

[lofter1]

I think those are welding tents.

They've dug out a big hole for column foundation at the NW corner of the Calatrava site ...

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[Daquan13]

Yes they are. Biggie confirmed it. Thanx, guys!

[BiggieSmalls]

what's happening on top of the one train box now?

looks like in the last few days they stripped off the heavy duty surface and are installing wood and weatherproofing.. will they be dropping steel perpendicular to the truss (i notice a few larg pieces in the east bath tub), pouring over it and then calling that the finished surface? or is this another temporary surface in anticipation of a crawler crane on top?

i recall they have laid a few temporary surfaces over fulton street ..i understood from a few of the reports that they will be contructing the final surface of greenwich street starting from the south.

[lofter1]

Will they be laying big beams across and atop the subway box, connecting the recently installed steel girders on either side of the subway line?

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[BiggieSmalls]

There are some newly delivered large steel pieces laying next to the gray tent

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[BStyles]

They're supposed to be putting arches over the section like the rest of the station, as seen in that interview with Calatrava. Those new steel pieces must be for the work beneath the box.

[HoveringCheesecake]

A few from my trip. Everything on the site is moving so fast I'm sure they are already out of date.

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6021/5915783541_4b30e29d70_o.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/34471641@N07/5915783541/)
Tower 3, Hub, Tower 2 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/34471641@N07/5915783541/) by hoveringcheesecake (http://www.flickr.com/people/34471641@N07/), on Flickr

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6140/5915784061_a6efe5f23a_o.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/34471641@N07/5915784061/)
Hub footings(?) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/34471641@N07/5915784061/) by hoveringcheesecake (http://www.flickr.com/people/34471641@N07/), on Flickr

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5272/5915782337_48c8b12dc0_o.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/34471641@N07/5915782337/)
Vertical Hilton (http://www.flickr.com/photos/34471641@N07/5915782337/) by hoveringcheesecake (http://www.flickr.com/people/34471641@N07/), on Flickr

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5319/5915794145_418df5f30e_o.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/34471641@N07/5915794145/)
Transportation hub (http://www.flickr.com/photos/34471641@N07/5915794145/) by hoveringcheesecake (http://www.flickr.com/people/34471641@N07/), on Flickr

[325ccr]

Tuesday night

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[lofter1]

Massive stuff going in here.

Looks like they're getting close to installing the super (duper) column that will connect to the lower end of the arch before too long ...

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[lofter1]

Looks like they're doing something on the north column base now ...

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[lofter1]

Will they be laying big beams across and atop the subway box, connecting the recently installed steel girders on either side of the subway line?


Indeed they will be ... and now have started to do so ...

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[infoshare]

Indeed they will be ... and now have started to do so ...


Steel Beams spanning across the 'subway box' - so I guess that makes them 'box-beams'. Pardon the corny A/E/C humor. Zen Steel Dude would have loved that post! - the pictures that is, not the joke.

[lofter1]

And our much-missed Zen no doubt could have answered these questions, too ...

How much above the top of those beams will be the new street level of Greenwich Street?

And is it correct to assume that a whole maze of infrastructure (electrics, cable, etc.) will be inserted into the space between the top of the beams and the eventual roadway? Or will all of that be slotted off to the side, above the beams but beneath sidewalks?

[BStyles]

I'm so glad that I kept a copy of the east truss, that he posted up. Heavily blacked out, of course. As Zen would say: its great to see the prints come to life.

From an educated guess, I would say that these steel beams will span the subway box for the remainder of the trusses, and the rest will be a concrete box (atop the mall's sublevels).

[lofter1]

Wide view this afternoon ...

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[Daquan13]

Those are some very weird looking steel beams pictured down there on both sides of the giant drum fan! Now I can see the gray tent better.

[Sal Schiano]

Seen one of those beams on a trailer last night headed to the site. It was covered in shear studs which means they will be covered in concrete or decking (?)

[LightningEagle]

http://img804.imageshack.us/img804/7996/unledxb.jpg

[yepole]

Lifting NE Supercolumn at this time!

[lofter1]

Yes indeed!

Sliding it into place ...

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[lofter1]

All the way in ...

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[LightningEagle]

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[Vivit]

I know I may be asking an old question, but are these super-columns going to be important in building the above-ground portion of the transit hub? Sorry. I'm still trying to comprehend what exactly is going on here...:o

[BStyles]

The Box Girder, and both the east and west trusses need the supercolums to support the span over the future concourse, beneath the subway box.

[lofter1]

Looks like the column pieces for the SE corner are now on site & awaiting installation ....

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[BStyles]

Box Girder.

[USSManhattan]

I talked to a supervisor yesterday who claimed he's attached to the transit hub. He claimed there a good chance we'll see above ground work by Christmas. When I expressed surprise at that, he said that work is already starting on the second level and they (and the entire WTC site) are "hauling ass" right now. He also said, incidently, he knows of nothing that will collaborate the recent rumors 2 and 3 will go up with out delay.

[Vivit]

I talked to a supervisor yesterday who claimed he's attached to the transit hub. He claimed there a good chance we'll see above ground work by Christmas. When I expressed surprise at that, he said that work is already starting on the second level and they (and the entire WTC site) are "hauling ass" right now. He also said, incidently, he knows of nothing that will collaborate the recent rumors 2 and 3 will go up with out delay.

Amen! (if that's the case) :)

[lofter1]

More big steel this morning, awaiting installation ...

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[BStyles]

There's a new yellow crane on the 16,000's pad (over by 1WTC).

[LightningEagle]

I talked to a supervisor yesterday who claimed he's attached to the transit hub. He claimed there a good chance we'll see above ground work by Christmas. When I expressed surprise at that, he said that work is already starting on the second level and they (and the entire WTC site) are "hauling ass" right now. He also said, incidently, he knows of nothing that will collaborate the recent rumors 2 and 3 will go up with out delay.

I noticed in last 2 weeks they been working pretty much non stop, pretty much 24 hours per day.

[325ccr]

I noticed in last 2 weeks they been working pretty much non stop, pretty much 24 hours per day.


18000 is leaving very soon;)

[USSManhattan]

I noticed in last 2 weeks they been working pretty much non stop, pretty much 24 hours per day.

Isn't there noise restrictions et al? There's residential buildings nearby.

[uakoops]

There's a new yellow crane on the 16,000's pad (over by 1WTC).

that looks like the Liebherr 1150 that was on West Street by the vent buildings last year. It looks like a toy compared to the 16000 that was there before.

[325ccr]

that looks like the Liebherr 1150 that was on West Street by the vent buildings last year. It looks like a toy compared to the 16000 that was there before.


off by a-couple - LR1160/1200 with about 270-300 feet of boom:)

[LightningEagle]

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super column #4 goes in this morning

[lofter1]

The WTC KPI TV cam (http://evsdatacenter.netfirms.com/kpitv/silver.htm) has been frozen at 9:17 AM all day long.

That just happens to be when the column was going in ...

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[uakoops]

Did they take some of the arch pieces away? The big one that was lying on the box beam for weeks is gone, and I don't see that it was installed. I also noticed a V section on a truck near T1 earlier this morning and it's gone now, I think they were taking it away. Is there some sort of problem with them?

[BiggieSmalls]

the V section is sitting on the box girder..there is one open slot in the fulton street area..

the two pieces that were there earlier were installed overnight in the slot closest to the box girder to the north of the spine.

[londonlawyer]

Will the above-ground skeleton for this masterpiece begin to rise in 2012?

[uakoops]

the V section is sitting on the box girder..there is one open slot in the fulton street area..

the two pieces that were there earlier were installed overnight in the slot closest to the box girder to the north of the spine.

OK, I can't see that spot on the earthcam. I see they are now also putting in the missing back-span V. Now they just need to finish the south side.....

[BiggieSmalls]

KPI-TV on 7 WTC has it.. they also captured the missing backspan V going in.. Looks like anothr southern section of the box beam slid in too.

northern arches are now complete.

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[ZippyTheChimp]

Will the above-ground skeleton for this masterpiece begin to rise in 2012?Don't know, but decking for the next level slab is being built.

http://img535.imageshack.us/img535/8311/transit01c.jpg

http://img820.imageshack.us/img820/1546/transit02c.jpg

[londonlawyer]

Thanks for the info, Zip. This will be one of the greatest buildings built in NYC. I can't wait.

[uakoops]

did they remove a piece of the south end of the box girder on Friday, then put it back on sunday? That's what it looked like from the cams.

[Sal Schiano]

They took it out then added this piece:

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The yesterday afternoon put the piece they took out back in

[lofter1]

This morning they were lifting something big ...

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[lofter1]

Whatever it is, they've now stashed it in the corner ...

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[uakoops]

That's another box girder section. It was sitting there for a while right next to the platform, they just flipped it over and moved it to a new spot.

[uakoops]

What's up with the Favco on the East side of the hub? The 18000 has been holding up the boom all morning.

[325ccr]

They replaced the drum this morning on the Favco, and thhey took the line out of the bridal so they just changed line

[lofter1]

Lifting big at 2:30 - 3 AM ...

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[lofter1]

I wish somebody would fix the darned KPI TV 7WTC HD webcam -- it's been down since July 25 :mad:
(the other cams there have all been down since June 8 !!!)

Meanwhile, on the far less sharp WTC earthcam today: The new section installed last night ...

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And they're lowering a node to connect the arches ...

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[BiggieSmalls]

awesome job!! looks like the end cap on the southern end of the box girder is all that's left.. and the truss/Super column connections.

i bet they throttled back the KPI-TV site because of bandwidth useage.

[lofter1]

This vid link is a few months old and probably has been posted before, but it's worth another look ...

The Rising - How to Lift 120 Tons of Steel

(http://dsc.discovery.com/videos/the-rising-rebuilding-ground-zero-how-to-lift-120-tons-of-steel.html)Lifting the Spanish Columns

[Daquan13]

I think I saw that one before, but it was worth watching again! That column is really a monster!!

Look how short One was back then.

[325ccr]

Tune in on Aug. 19 on Discovery channel!

[Daquan13]

Thanx!

[Bob]

All this eye in the sky stuff is all very nice, but it would be great to have video and photographs at the construction level. Any particular reason there is a dearth of stuff from the pit? Security issues of some sort?

[325ccr]

Caught this tonight, 42 tons


http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6009/6006746793_cc70e4d696_b.jpghttp://farm7.static.flickr.com/6014/6007288076_9b4de8d942_b.jpghttp://farm7.static.flickr.com/6132/6007287270_836a20e346_b.jpg

[yepole]

Is that the section that connects to one of the Supercolumns?

[uakoops]

Setting that piece right now:

http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/999/trussendouygruz.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/221/trussendouygruz.jpg/)
Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)

[325ccr]

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6123/6014829602_6fa355bb75_o.jpg

^^ that was July 22 or 23

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6125/6014829560_9760fc14be_o.jpg


^^ and that was yesterday.

"We are picking wall fragments originally poured in the early 1900's. 4-12 every Tues and Thurs."

[lofter1]

Looks like the last arch above the PATH station is ready for installation ...

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[arcman210]

Would that mean the crane's days are numbered?

[Daquan13]

It'll probably move on to help with something else.

[325ccr]

Maybe replace the 18000 after its done there:confused:

[kinggober]

From WTC progress twitter

http://p.twimg.com/AWgwvpCCQAE6BLX.jpg

[lofter1]

Big Stuff ^

Looks like PATH roof is fully arched as of 8.10.2011 ...

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[325ccr]

looks like the EC has new locations, it went to this view 2 times so it must be permanent & other views also

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6210/6033851660_4315a76d86_b.jpg

[Hamilton]

Forgive me, I've been out of the WTC loop for a while and I'm a little confused by what I'm seeing in these pictures. It seems that the roof of the transit hub is at about street level? Is that right? What happened to the arched ribs that rose a few dozen feet above street level that we saw in earlier renderings?

http://lh6.ggpht.com/zC5oHbxbNKsViAQWwSIWHAmuGmNskL_Tnf4bHL8NlAj3xLmTfC x74uIQoRs-HGwrb4YR8qnui1YTAZmrecs1=s220

[STT757]

Forgive me, I've been out of the WTC loop for a while and I'm a little confused by what I'm seeing in these pictures. It seems that the roof of the transit hub is at about street level? Is that right? What happened to the arched ribs that rose a few dozen feet above street level that we saw in earlier renderings?

http://lh6.ggpht.com/zC5oHbxbNKsViAQWwSIWHAmuGmNskL_Tnf4bHL8NlAj3xLmTfC x74uIQoRs-HGwrb4YR8qnui1YTAZmrecs1=s220

Watch this video, hopefully you'll understand better what is going on.

http://www.myfoxny.com/dpp/news/sept_11/world-trade-center-HUB-animation-20100727

[BiggieSmalls]

digging the foundation within the 18000 crane foot print.

courtesy of Joe Woolhead
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what are the flat panels off to the right

[uakoops]

They are putting together a new smaller truss right next to the big one on the East side of the subway box. My guess is that this one is to support the West end of the Transit Hall building.

http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/8256/babytruss.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/12/babytruss.jpg/)
Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)

[BiggieSmalls]

Lots going on in the East bathtub...

looks to be two gray arch trus pieces have arrived. One is sitting next to the east truss already and another on the deck

plenty of steel for truss connections on site and going in..

looks to be the last piece of the box girder being lifted..

that hole above is likely the base for the future tower crane..

huge flat panels yet to be identified with KPiTV having bandwidth issues

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[lofter1]

KPiTV back up as of 11:25PM (new server)

[Ack]

Are they getting ready to remove the 18000?

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[NYatKNIGHT]

Just to confirm what others have already guessed: the new arch supports the transit hall. It shares space on the east supercolumns with the bigger truss that supports the 1-Line box, but the one being installed will be visible, so it has the same architectural curves and finish as the rest of the PATH station ribs and etc. The crane will begin to be dismantled soon - I've heard this weekend, but I've found those reports are rarely accurate, we'll see. The new foundation is for the future tower crane. I'm told the flat pieces are for the east box girder - there are still segments to be added to the ends. All of this needs to be welded and that alone will take months. Meanwhile, the superstructure contractor (Sorbara) continues on the 254 level of the Transit Hall working generally east to west.

[LightningEagle]

No... it's just unloading some more steel. There is still some work to do for 18000

I vote for 18000 to become a statue there :P

[NYatKNIGHT]

Correction - the steel plates reinforce the north-south sheer wall in the hub. There is parking on the east side and like everything else on the site where there are vehicles it will have blast protection.

[prototech]

The crane in front of the WFC seems to be leaving.

[325ccr]

Looks like the 18000 may be leaving!!

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6081/6063972180_078193699c_b.jpg

[BiggieSmalls]

how do they plan on getting it out of the pit?

seems the best route for exit is Church street.

it has been working virtually non stop the last few days on the greenwich street supports..

they laid an awful lot of greenwich street steel that has no logical connection point yet. i'd think it would finish that truss before leaving.

greenwich street seems a natural area to put a new crawler crane..

would the 18000 assemble a tower crane that would ultimately assist in breaking down the 18000?

should be interesting to watch;

edit: looks like east tower crane is doing the dismantle. Guess it can handle the weight.

edit 2 - the Tower 2 west crane is assisting in the dismantle.

[LightningEagle]

noooooooo!!! :(

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[325ccr]

:/

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6082/6066822140_c5699eee25_b.jpg

[LightningEagle]

ok, whats is going on with manitowoc ? I see shorter boom is back up and its doing some work on transit hall again!!!

[yepole]

Yeah, it looks like 18000 was reconfigured - just the boom and no more jib.
Apparently there is no more need for far reach, but still more work to do!...

[uakoops]

They probably just need to finish that truss.

[Daquan13]

noooooooo!!! :(

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This shot looks like it was photographed from Seven.

[LightningEagle]

Yeah, it looks like 18000 was reconfigured - just the boom and no more jib.
Apparently there is no more need for far reach, but still more work to do!...

18000 turned into midget :D

[BiggieSmalls]

building a tower crane ..

what is the rectangular piece behind the crane? looks like one of those crane pads like the yellow crane sits on fulton street

could they be preparing to move it to greenwich street?

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[325ccr]

Those are crane mats, I believe those are the ones that the 18000 used to sit on at T1.

[BiggieSmalls]

right.. crane mats.. curious why they would reappear at this stage.

[prototech]

The tower crane near the north pool is probably leaving (or moving into the east bathtub?) soon. There's a mobile crane next to the yellow crane with several trailers carrying counter weights standing by.

[dtolman]

With Hurricane Irene coming, that might be truer than they wish. Can they really reinforce the cranes enough to survive 90 MPH gusts of wind?

[BiggieSmalls]

the assembled a mobile crane with what looks like a 300 foot extension overnight.

WOW

[yepole]

WOW!
I was curious and checked the web - it looks closest the monster 600t Liebherr LTM 1500, the heaviest in Bay Crane's fleet of all-terrain cranes!
Configuration with a luffing lattice jib and guyed telescopic boom. Please correct me if I'm wrong, I'm just guessing.

[HoveringCheesecake]

Whoa look at that! Hopefully they can figure out what is best for the tower cranes on 1 and 4.

But I'm most concerned about the bathtub flooding. Especially since they already have artifacts in the memorial.

[lofter1]

The previous raised super block might have had it's positive aspects in a situation like this. Not that it would have stopped all flooding, but it will be interesting to see what takes place here.

[lofter1]

The full dimension of the arch along the east side of the subway box is now apparent ...

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[GreenwichBoy]

Looks like Big Red/18,000 crane is gone.

[325ccr]

^^

still here

http://www.earthcam.com/swf/cam_player/temp_images/1315957449221.jpg

[uakoops]

Anyone got a direct link to that new cam?

[325ccr]

http://www.earthcam.com/usa/newyork/worldtradecenter/?cam=tower3

[Daquan13]

WTC transit hub expected to be completed by 2014Published: Saturday, September 10, 2011, 4:00 AM

By The Jersey Journal (http://connect.nj.com/user/njojjournal/index.html)The Jersey Journal
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http://media.nj.com/the_jersey_journal_remembers_911/photo/9982695-large.jpgA rendering of the WTC transit hub, which is expected to be completed by 2014.

By Ron Leir

Each day nearly 3,000 workers toil at the 16-acre World Trade Center development site – future home of the Freedom Tower, a performing arts center, a 9/11 memorial plaza and museum and, perhaps most anticipated by commuters, a new PATH and subway station.

Known as the Transit Hub, the $3.4 billlion PATH station also will connect to 11 New York City subway lines – the A, C, E, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and the J and Z trains.
It’s expected to open in 2014.

“I hope the (PATH) service continues to be as fast and efficient as it is now,” Remy Rizzo, of Jersey City, said recently outside the current WTC PATH station.

The existing PATH street entrance at Vesey Street and West Broadway will be demolished and its footprint will be occupied by the future performing arts center.

The new Transit Hub primary access point will be a finned glass and steel structure known as the Calatrava Transportation Hub, named for Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava , which will rise on Church Street toward the northeast part of the development site next to Tower 2.

Commuters will enter a gateway section called Transit Hall. Escalators connect down to a mezzanine with two levels of retail shops, similar to the setup in the original WTC station.
The Port Authority is contracted with the Westfield Group, one of the largest retail operators in the world, to lease retail space at the facility.

Another set of escalators will descend to turnstiles and PATH platforms.
Port Authority spokesman Steve Coleman says the mezzanine area is nearly completed.

“There are 300 pieces of steel involved with arches supported by a Vierendeel truss (rectangular openings) and a giant spine down the middle,” he said.
Platforms to support rail tracks are under construction – slowed by the subway’s 1 line running through the construction site, forcing the contractor to work around the trains.










http://ads.nj.com/RealMedia/ads/adstream_lx.ads/blog.nj.com/the_jersey_journal_remembers_911/article/L11/1153208519/BannerShared/NJONLINE/Spacer_NJ_RoS_07/Spacer_SpanMJX.html/59755565466b3578625a554141685552?_RM_EMPTY_&&&tag0=&1=the_jersey_journal_remembers_911&2=2011&3=09&4=wtc_transit_hub_expected_to_be.html

[scumonkey]

big red definitely looks MIA now?!
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb276/scumonkey/bigredgone.jpg

[lofter1]

Yes, once they put up the 2nd crane (the western one) at the end of August Big Red was taken away.

[futurecity]

The transit hub is the most interesting piece of architecture going up in NYC IMO. Even though his style is hackneyed and has been seen before, NYC lacks any really dramatic modern pieces from this century, and this one will change that. I think something unusual like this is needed to break up the walls of glass and stark memorial design.

[RoldanTTLB]

I'm not sure hackneyed means what you think it means if you're applying it to Santiago Calatrava. I think he's consistent, but I don't think his particular style is widespread among the field...

[londonlawyer]

The transit hub is the most interesting piece of architecture going up in NYC IMO. Even though his style is hackneyed and has been seen before, NYC lacks any really dramatic modern pieces from this century, and this one will change that. I think something unusual like this is needed to break up the walls of glass and stark memorial design.

You're a nice guy, but you're very uninformed and clearly know little about NY. Tell me a Western city that has built a tower better than 8 Spruce Street in the past five years.

[Fimiak]

He has also apparently never been to see whats gone up around the high line.

[injcsince81]

The transit hub is the most interesting piece of architecture going up in NYC IMO. Even though his style is hackneyed and has been seen before, NYC lacks any really dramatic modern pieces from this century, and this one will change that. I think something unusual like this is needed to break up the walls of glass and stark memorial design.

futurecity, IIRC you are the poster who loves organic architecture so abundant in asian cities, right? Well, Calatrava's hub is organic to the extreme, so I am not surprised that you like it.

I find it interesting, and a nice counterpoint to the geometric shapes of the other buildings rising at that site.

[lofter1]

From the PANYNJ October 2011 Progress Report:

WTC Transportation Hub’s Iconic Oculus Begins to Take Shape

At the heart of the World Trade Center (WTC) redevelopment project is renowned architect Santiago Calatrava’s Transportation Hub, a multibillion-dollar transit project that will restore and enhance the levels of service that existed at the site before September 11, 2001. In addition to a new station entrance to the Port Authority Trans Hudson (PATH) rail line through a PATH Hall approximately the size of three football fields, this massive project also includes climate-controlled, underground connections between multiple New York City Transit Subway lines and the World Financial Center in Battery Park City, with a range of retail services throughout.

Much of this underground infrastructure for the impressive Transportation Hub project is already well under way, although not obviously visible to passersby on the streets of Lower Manhattan. But all of that is about to change: the structure that will become the above-grade entrance to the Transportation Hub—called the “Oculus”—is just beginning to take shape as slabs and foundations are being installed on the east side of the site. With the removal of a large crane that was used to construct much of the below-grade infrastructure of the Hub, the portion of the site that will house the iconic Oculus structure is now free to begin rising.

Over the coming months, the Grand Hall of the Oculus—approximately one and a half times the size of Grand Central Terminal and located approximately 60 feet below the surface—will begin to rise to grade. Starting next summer, enormous pieces of the above grade, glass- and steel-ribbed Oculus will begin to be installed above street level. The commencement of construction on this emblematic Oculus structure, designed to represent the wings of a bird taking flight, is both exciting and representative of the Port Authority’s goals to remember, rebuild, and renew the WTC.

[Vivit]

That's the information I've been waiting to see. Good to know.

[windoof]

Thanks for sharing that information!

Where did you receive this report? I did not find anything on the PATH website, the latest quarterly reports are long overdue..

[lofter1]

A birdie drops it off in my inbox at the start of each month.

[ronsmytheiii]

sorry if this has been posted, but check out the Paul Jr Designs WTC bike. I love how the Gas tank pays homage to the Calatrava architecture:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/307653_181833441895758_109857729093330_415169_1298 651737_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/307551_182223241856778_109857729093330_416555_9684 59327_n.jpg

[Sherpa]

Live Cam is showing some amazingly fast progress http://www.video-monitoring.com/construction/kpitv/silver.htm

[injcsince81]

sorry if this has been posted, but check out the Paul Jr Designs WTC bike. I love how the Gas tank pays homage to the Calatrava architecture:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/307653_181833441895758_109857729093330_415169_1298 651737_n.jpg



Cool design, but I would not want to brake too hard and slide into this thing.

[ZippyTheChimp]

Investigation into Transit Hub fireproofing

NEW YORK (WABC) -- The World Trade Center Transportation Hub is behind schedule and hundreds of millions over budget.

The dual pressure of time and cost-overruns might help explain why the Port Authority has decided to eliminate the fireproofing of the huge above-ground steel structure that 200,000 people will pass under every day.

"Fireproofing is a critical piece of fire protection, a blanket we put on buildings to insulate the steel from heat of fire and in my estimation it is critical component for any large building particularly a transit facility like this one," said Glenn Corbett, a fire safety expert.

But more than a year ago, Eyewitness News pressed then Port Authority Executive Director Chris Ward on whether the $25 million fireproofing had been yanked from the Transit Hub contract.

"Has that been taken out of the project, the fireproofing of the steel columns?" Eyewitness News Investigative reporter Jim Hoffer asked.

"No, complete news to me. The Port Authority has the highest standards for the safety for all of its facilities. We wouldn't compromise a structure like the Transit Hub in terms of fireproofing in the least. I don't know where you are getting that information at all," said Chris Ward, the Former Port Authority Executive Director.

Eyewitness News was getting the information from a well-placed source who also provided a Port Authority document.

It requested that those bidding on the Transit Hub contract "Should exclude the cost of fireproofing or intumescent coating from the structural steel."

At the same time the head of the Port Authority was telling Eyewitness News this:

"So it's going to be fireproofed?" Hoffer asked.

"Of course!" Ward said.

Soon after, the Port Authority hired an engineering firm to conduct a test to see whether the steel structure without fireproofing could hold up under a fire.

It concluded that it could because of "the high volume of the space and robustness of the structure".

The problem according to experts Eyewitness News spoke to is that the test was based on a fire equal to "two-to-three closely spaced passenger cars".

"Given the fact this is such a large building and is a terrorist target, a small fire in this building is not something I'd be planning for, I'd be planning for much larger worst case scenario," Corbett said.

Yet, based on the Port Authority's two-to-three car fire test, a Deputy Commissioner for the Buildings Department signed off on the Agency's decision not to fireproof the Transit Hub concluding it meets required fire resistance ratings.

What about the painful lessons of World Trade Center history where thousands died from two terrorist attacks, one in which inadequate fireproofing hastens the collapse of the twin towers?

"I'm really shocked given what happened on 9/11 including issues of fireproofing where these lessons seemed to be unlearned and unheeded," Corbett said.

The Port Authority says the below ground steel where the retail stores will be located will have fireproofing.

In a statement to Eyewitness News, the agency says, "Our engineers have conducted a thorough review of the fireproofing requirements and found that we will satisfy our high safety standards for the project as well as meet or exceed New York City Building Code requirements."

Video here:

http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/video?id=8475861

[uakoops]

I'm not an engineer but I don't get the big deal here. This is a ground level structure that takes minutes to evacuate. In the case of a fire large enough to affect the structural steel, everyone would be out or dead long before collapse becomes an issue. The comparison to the Twin Towers is ridiculous and is just an emotional button-pusher.

This whole thing looks like a witch hunt by a journalist looking for anything to make the PA look bad in the eyes of the gullible public.

[lofter1]

The vast majority of the Calatrava hub isn't at ground level, it's mostly subterranean (even in the big Calatrava building that we'll see above ground, the main floor isn't at street level -- once folks enter they immediately go down a level via stairs & escalators, which are located only at the east and west ends of the building; there are no street level egress points along the entire length of the building running parallel to Fulton Street & Dey Street). If you're at all familiar with the previous underground WTC mall and passageways you might remember that the egress points were far flung and at the extremities.

[HoveringCheesecake]

It's definitely a foolish move given the history of the site.

[mariab]

The fact that it must be fireproofed shouldn't even be an issue, but how will they fireproof it & keep the aesthetic?

[ZippyTheChimp]

Intumescent Coating (http://www.4specs.com/s/07/07-8140.html)

That's how the exposed steel of the NY Times building was fireproofed.

[BStyles]

Zen explained to us that intumescent coating, when exposed to fire, tends to blow up like a balloon, covering bare steel in a similar fashion as ordinary fireproofing. I can't remember the rating he told us it was given(4-5 hours, not sure).

[lofter1]

Any bets on how many gallons of intumescent paint it would take to cover all those exposed Calatrava arches & beams?

[ZippyTheChimp]

The cost overruns on this project are immense.

The $30 million cost of fireproofing the street-level structure is three-quarters of one percent of $3.4 billion.

[HoveringCheesecake]

I was thinking about that paint, since Zen was the first person to point it out to me. All of the buildings going up in London have it painted on by default.

I wonder what he would think of this ridiculous situation? *sigh* They're going to have to go through with it now that it has gone public. Once Schumer started calling them out, they were toast.

[lofter1]

But painting all those arches will be a JOB CREATOR!

Maybe they should privatize the PANYNJ?

[stache]

PATH train - $15.00 each way?

[lofter1]

Progress here, with a big arch component on site.

Not sure what the column-like piece is that's gone up at the SE corner near Dey & Church ...

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[uakoops]

That tall thing in the last picture looks like an emergency exit stairs. it's been there for a while already.

[LightningEagle]

That tall thing in the last picture looks like an emergency exit stairs. it's been there for a while already.

he is talking about the column ( horizontal) next to stairs

[BiggieSmalls]

he is talking about the column ( horizontal) next to stairs

isnt that just a ramp leading to the stairs?

lower right here:

courtesy Patapsco - SSP

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7159/6571178191_c60c853690_b.jpg

[lofter1]

Thanks for the clarification. I hadn't noticed that escape stair before.

[NYatKNIGHT]

They had to angle the stair ramp because they are doing work removing and reinforcing the slurry wall there. That's where they are constructing the connection to the NRW from the Transit Hall.

[londonlawyer]

Will the bird-like structure commence construction in 2012? It appears that it's a street level already.

[BStyles]

No, it's still 2 1/2 levels below grade. Towers 2 and 3 have reached street level, however.

[londonlawyer]

Thanks for the reply.

[325ccr]

Electric motor for the hub & panels, photo taken by a friend

http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/395709_226529664088750_100001951536272_499575_1886 295010_n.jpg


http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/404578_228118690596514_100001951536272_504608_9229 08767_n.jpg

[infoshare]

GReat photo: made my day. (LOL)

Not exactly sure what that motor is intended for - elevators/escellators? - but glad you gave us one of those most valued 'inside' shots.

This project is now beginning to take center stage; once above ground this one too will be fascinating to follow, as we watch 'how things come together'.

Thanks.

[LemSkroob]

The cost overruns on this project are immense.

The $30 million cost of fireproofing the street-level structure is three-quarters of one percent of $3.4 billion.


Intumescent paint is very expensive to put on. A lot of labor, and it has to be done more carefully than spray on, since its a "finish" as well.

[ZippyTheChimp]

^
Maybe I'm misreading your comment, but I'm not questioning the $30 million cost of fireproofing. Just the PA rationale in picking such a controversial aspect of the project to save such a small percentage of the entire cost.

[LemSkroob]

No, not debating, just offering back-up commentary to the cost aspect of it.

[BigMac]

New York Post
January 10, 2012

Hub of WTC’s problem$

By Steve Cuozzo

Our column in The Post on Friday about the cost of the Port Authority’s World Trade Center Transportation Hub — the Santiago Calatrava-designed PATH terminal — drew e-mails from readers skeptical about our findings, and a few even more skeptical of the PA than we were.

In questioning why Gov. Cuomo has held his tongue over the fiasco while he and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie grumble about less cash-draining WTC blunders, we noted that the Hub, which was supposed to cost the PA nothing, is putting the agency at least $892 million in the hole.

The original budget of up to $2.5 billion, to be covered by the Federal Transit Administration and insurance proceeds, has risen to a minimum $3.44 billion with no other source of outside funding.

We also wrote that in 2009, the FTA reallocated to the Hub an additional $663 million that it had first set aside for the PA’s Vehicle Security Center — but then, the PA immediately plunked most of it, $533 million, right back into the VSC, which no longer had federal funding.

Some have asked us: What was the point of the money shuffle? Was it “creative bookkeeping” by the PA?

Apparently not — it was simply to rid the VSC of federal oversight, including public hearings and environmental red tape. Better to have one project — the Hub — under FTA scrutiny than two.

Others questioned our assertion that the Hub was the “worst culprit” in the PA’s fiscal mess.

Well, the PA and the Memorial Foundation are fighting a raw public battle over a mere $300 million. The PA was vilified for having to pay Larry Silverstein a fine for failing to complete the east bathtub on time. The cost? Just $140 million.

Despite justified outrage over revelations in The Post about PA waste on salaries, overtime and undercounted utility meters, the amounts, once precisely quantified, will surely appear modest in relation to the Hub.

Even if Christie’s vague claim of $2.2 billion in WTC overruns proves to be true, the Hub alone will account for nearly half of it. This although the PA is also building the 102-story 1 WTC, the VSC, massive infrastructure throughout the 16 acres — as well as paying for much of the 8-acre Memorial and the MTA’s subway projects at the site.

The Hub, mostly deep underground despite its famous “wings,” should be revealed in ongoing audits as the PA’s thirstiest bloodsucker. Look out below.

Copyright 2012 NYP Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.

[LightningEagle]

14818

Sorry for small picture but :D

[lofter1]

Column sections going in?

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[uakoops]

Those cylinders? Maybe they are forms for round concrete columns. I think the steel doesn't start until the next level.


(Zen would have known....I miss him :( )

[stache]

Ditto.

[lofter1]

The anniversary of Zen's "join date" at WNY (http://wirednewyork.com/forum/member.php?u=17414) is coming up ...

Join Date: February 6th, 2008

[stache]

14822

[dtolman]

Gone but not forgotten. Can't imagine what stuff he'd be jumping up and down about now, that we're overlooking.

[uakoops]

:d14843

[BStyles]

Everyone has to watch the Super Bowl now and then.:p

[uakoops]

Steel going in at the NE corner of the Hub site. :)

Sorry I don't have time for a screenshot.

[ZippyTheChimp]

Here you go.

http://img252.imageshack.us/img252/2082/transit04c.th.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/252/transit04c.jpg/) http://img542.imageshack.us/img542/5555/transit03c.th.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/542/transit03c.jpg/)

[eltodesukane]

Here you go.

http://img252.imageshack.us/img252/2082/transit04c.th.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/252/transit04c.jpg/) http://img542.imageshack.us/img542/5555/transit03c.th.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/542/transit03c.jpg/)

Please don't use ImageShack to post image
I hate ImageShack
Can't see big image with ImageShack

[ZippyTheChimp]

^
Just click on the image and you'll get the original size.

[uakoops]

The diagonal braces in the NE corner are gone.

[londonlawyer]

Is anyone of this for the actual structure of the phoenix's body?

[RoldanTTLB]

No. Those will be painfully obvious when they start in the near-ish future.

[londonlawyer]

Thanks, amigo.

[Sherpa]

Some interesting looking steel pillars went in overnight. Appear to be taking the shape of the new building.

[lofter1]

The outline of the building we'll see above ground is starting to take shape ...

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[ZippyTheChimp]

I think it's the shape of the building, but not the outline.

[stache]

So are you saying the above photos represent a space larger than the eventual building footprint?

[Nexis4Jersey]

When should we start seeing a actual building start to rise here by summer?

[uakoops]

A few gray columns went in right next to the east crane. I think those are the first pieces of the visible structure of the hub, that will be visible from inside the main hall.

[ZippyTheChimp]

So are you saying the above photos represent a space larger than the eventual building footprint?Those columns look like they curve under what will be Fulton St. I think they define the concourse under the hub building.

[BStyles]

Where the structural steel is going in, those are the components of the concourse, and probably the underlying Fulton Street Structure. The ovular outline in the scaffolding is the actual perimeter of the transit hub, hence the three closely spaced steel columns they just put up.The transit hall floor is about 2 levels below grade, so that looks about right.

[Sherpa]

Where the structural steel is going in, those are the components of the concourse, and probably the underlying Fulton Street Structure. The ovular outline in the scaffolding is the actual perimeter of the transit hub, hence the three closely spaced steel columns they just put up.The transit hall floor is about 2 levels below grade, so that looks about right.

This rendering helps -

[NYatKNIGHT]

Those are the first of the lower portals, so now we get to watch the oculus take shape.

[lofter1]

This morning, rebar for columns visible ...

14961

[lofter1]

From the March 2012 PANYNJ WTC Progress Report:

... Current construction includes erecting steel, placing concrete to create each of the main underground levels of the Hub, and completing the installation of the Oculus’ east arch truss. Foundation work in the East Bathtub of the WTC site is substantially complete. Bolting and welding across the entire PATH Hall Roof and Number 1 Subway line structure have been nearly finalized.

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[LeCom]

Gone but not forgotten. Can't imagine what stuff he'd be jumping up and down about now, that we're overlooking.

Agreed. Zen's input is missed. Construction conversations just aren't the same.

[stache]

14981

[futurecity]

This rendering helps -

Pity Penn Station couldn't look like that. That's where a bigger version of this is really needed. It's pretty sad that inter city travelers will continue to enter the great city like rats (I forget that famous quote, something about rats) while the small # of NJ Path commutters enter the city like Gods.

[NYatKNIGHT]

From the March 2012 PANYNJ WTC Progress Report:

... Current construction includes erecting steel, placing concrete to create each of the main underground levels of the Hub, and completing the installation of the Oculus’ east arch truss. Foundation work in the East Bathtub of the WTC site is substantially complete. Bolting and welding across the entire PATH Hall Roof and Number 1 Subway line structure have been nearly finalized. ..which means they will start transferring the loads of the subway box and PATH Hall roof by the end of the month; removing shoring towers, transferring the loads to the supercolumns and the vierendeel truss.

[BStyles]

That sounds like great news. Now the lower concourse and connecting passageways can get started. Will they also start dismantling the inner temporary roof of the PATH station, though?

[325ccr]

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7176/6968263667_7e198156d2_b.jpghttp://farm8.staticflickr.com/7178/6968262815_1c112a7fe6_b.jpghttp://farm8.staticflickr.com/7070/6968256399_b53a3a67d0_b.jpghttp://farm8.staticflickr.com/7050/6822140312_78c95a259a_b.jpg

[antinimby]

Yale University architecture professor Vincent Scully (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_Scully):


"One entered the city like a god. One scuttles in now like a rat."

[uakoops]

@325, what are those big flat plates in the last picture for?

[uakoops]

I see pieces for a DCM climbing crane sitting in the Hub area. Where is that going? T2 or T3? (my guess is T3, they need to jump the cranes that are there before they can go any higher)

[lofter1]

Shaping up (two shots from yesterday before the fog moved in) ...

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[yepole]

It looks like we'll be having third tower crane on the hub site soon! Take a look at the temp structure near the east wall.
http://www.video-monitoring.com/construction/kpitv/silver.htm

[uakoops]

Ah, I think I see what's going on now...
Is that a third one or will it replace the one near it?

[Jyminee]

Is this the structure you're talking about?

[uakoops]

Yes. The red thing is part of one of those Federated/DCM crane climbers like those on T1 and T4.

[RoldanTTLB]

Mmm, kangaroo crane. Maybe if we're lucky it's actually getting assembled for tower 3 (there's no reason that the hub would need a kangaroo crane). That'd be nifty if the current crane tossed it into the other half of the core to rise with the building...

[ZippyTheChimp]

There would have been news about an anchor tenant being signed for tower three long before any construction contracts for tower three.

[NYatKNIGHT]

The new crane will move back and forth on a track inside the oculus at the current 274 level, replacing the two that are there now.

[BStyles]

The WTC must be one of those sites that have the most uses for tower cranes. This one will just be phenomenal.

[TREPYE]

Yale University architecture professor Vincent Scully (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_Scully):
"One entered the city like a god. One scuttles in now like a rat."
:)

Well, Penn Station still remains under a toilet bowl (not thanks to useless developers and bureaucrats), but I guess with this new hub we have regained our transportation pantheon and hence out godly status...

[Sherpa]

.

[uakoops]

Looks like it has a much shorter boom now. Does the crane have less capacity when it is on that sliding base?

[Sal Schiano]

Probably has more capacity since it can move closer to what it's lifting. Must of been less $ to make it on the rails rather then bring in a larger crane. There's also a different boom head on it and shorter boom which means it's in a heavy lift configuration

[uakoops]

So more weight, but less reach.

[BStyles]

Hence the movable track. Why swing around and reduce lift capacity with a longer boom when you can slide over to the load and pick it up with ease?

[Sal Schiano]

Much more capacity. If you noticed when the stationary tower crane was he had to reach very far to church steet to unload materials. (for example a 100FT radius) Now with the new crane he can roll up-to Church street and come within a closer radius (say 20FT) A few weekends ago a mobile crane had to come in to lower the columns into the hub because the tower crane didn't have the capacity. Now with the rails it does and there is no need to bring in a mobile crane.

The closer to the load, the more capacity. I have a feeling they will extend the rails all the way through the middle of the hub

[325ccr]

76 tons coming in at 10pm tonight!!

[325ccr]

another massive column on the eartcam - ​http://archives.earthcam.com/archives5/ecnetwork/us/ny/nyc/gzmpr/gzmpr288_4.jpg

[yepole]

Wow they are like those oversized supercolumns we've seen, only thinner!
They are not aligned with the inner row of columns though, from what I can see, so they might not remain visible when hub is completed...

[uakoops]

Another huge "something" being delivered right now! Looks like part of a box girder? this is getting interesting....

http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/4994/hubsteel0405.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/40/hubsteel0405.jpg/)
Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)


I miss Zen...:(

[stache]

Never gone as long as we remember him -

[325ccr]

@uakoops here is some added text to the pic you posted, I do not know what the new pieces are, they did not arrive from the tri-state area is all I know

http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/460482_334787626577876_225467540843219_956229_2903 80767_o.jpg

[Sherpa]

This is a new cam angle for me. can you please post the link tot his live cam?

[325ccr]

This is a new cam angle for me. can you please post the link tot his live cam?
http://archives.earthcam.com/archives5/ecnetwork/us/ny/nyc/gzmpr/gzmpr288_4.jpg

[lofter1]

Multiple cam views here (for that ^ angle click "Tower 3"):

http://www.earthcam.com/usa/newyork/worldtradecenter/index.php

[uakoops]

There's a second one of those big flat things waiting on a truck now to be unloaded.

[uakoops]

I think I see now what's happening. They are going to assemble those flat things on the 2 squares (circled in red) to create 2 huge supercolumns. I missed the standing piece earlier.

At the other end of the hub you can now clearly see the end of the oval shape of the oculus.
http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/1267/hubsteel04052.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/26/hubsteel04052.jpg/)
Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)

[Sherpa]

Multiple cam views here (for that ^ angle click "Tower 3"):

http://www.earthcam.com/usa/newyork/worldtradecenter/index.php

Great, thanks!

[lofter1]

Aerial of the Transit Hub shaping up tonight ...

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[BStyles]

Well from the site plans previously posted, those appear to be elevator wells for a mezzanine level to the Chambers Street - WTC Station (A, C, E, lower right hand corner of pic above) and the Cortlandt Street Station (R, at the very bottom of picture). The newly opened southbound platform lies directly beyond the bathtub wall.

The large open space beneath Tower 3 is part of the two level concourse of the WTC mall, which runs directly through the PATH hall and towards another large opening where the columns are already in place. I wonder if the concourse will eventually look like this?
15180

[lofter1]

Two massive columns have been erected at the east side of the Hub site. Neither were there on April 4 and the southern column started to rise on April 5. Steel for the northern column was on site by April 6 and overnight last night both were standing.

Check it out, starting April 4 and moving forward through this morning ...

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[lofter1]

And the columns today, as seen from above via the 3 WTC Earthcam ...

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[ramvid01]

This is moving quite quickly. I would imagine that once this floor of concrete is fully laid out and poured that the structure will go up very quickly.