WTC fence to come down after 13 years

A fence that has cordoned off the World Trade Center site from the rest of Downtown for the past 13 years is set to come down – at least partially – in 2014. The move will allow visitors to the 9/11 Memorial to move freely between the memorial and the neighborhood, according to Joe Daniels, president of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum.

The exact timeline for pulling down the blue fence, however, is yet to be determined. A spokesperson for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which owns the site, said earlier this month that the fencing would be brought down along the west side of The Memorial Plaza Along West Street, The South End Along Liberty Street and a portion of Greenwich Street.

Removing the fence is an important psychological step in healing from the tragedy of the September 11 attacks, Downtown Residents And Business Owners Told The Wall Street Journal.

“The design of the memorial has always been about connecting the site back to the city and making this part of the city whole again,” 9/11 memorial designer Michael Arad told the newspaper.

The move to bring the fence down is also likely to boost leasing at the site, Jody Durst, president of the Durst Organization, told the Journal. The Durst Organization developed One World Trade Center in a joint venture with the Port Authority.

“People have felt banished up until now,” Durst said. [WSJ]  – Hiten Samtani