Ground zero’s rise comes at expense of other projects funded by Port Authority

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey set aside $7.7 billion for construction at ground zero following the 9/11 terror attacks. But with the 11th anniversary of the attacks approaching and with the World Trade Center again prominent in the New York skyline, it has become apparent that the Port Authority’s investment in the World Trade Center has left other parts of the city’s infrastructure crumbling, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Before the attacks, the central terminal at La Guardia Airport was scheduled to be renovated, but for now trash cans collect drips from its leaky ceiling. The situation is similar at Newark International Airport’s Terminal A, which frequently receives complaints from fed-up travelers. And on Manhattan’s West Side, the Port Authority was forced to put off building a new garage where buses could idle after the cost of the World Trade Center grew.

“Clearly, if we spend a dollar on one use it’s not available to spend on something else,” Patrick Foye, Port Authority executive director, said. “We all live in world of finite resources.”

But despite its efforts to create public–private partnerships, the Port Authority remains the single largest contributor to the nearly $15 billion worth of public space at the World Trade Center, ensuring that it will be some years still before New York’s and New Jersey’s infrastructure receives the attention it needs. [WSJ] – Christopher Cameron