April 30th - May 4th, 2012

Timelapse Captures 1 World Trade Center Construction

April 27 - Work on 1 World Trade Center began nearly six years ago on the northwest corner of the site. ABC 7 News reported that the building stands where the original eight-story 6 WTC building stood before the September 11th attacks. One WTC will top out at 1,776 feet next month. Construction of the building is set to be complete in December, and the building will open in the Spring of 2013.The timelapse footage of the construction of 1 WTC was captured by EarthCam, which operates a network of webcams worldwide. View the video at: http://www.abc-7.com/story/17839576/timelapse-captures-1-world-trade-center-construction .

WTC Tower Reclaims Sky in Lower Manhattan

April 29 - A steel column was hoisted into place Monday afternoon atop the exoskeleton of 1 World Trade Center and New York now has a new tallest building, reported the New York Times. Jutting into the sky, the first column of the 100th floor of 1 WTC will bring the tower to a height of 1,271 feet, making it 21 feet higher than the Empire State Building. After several notorious false starts, a skyscraper has finally taken form at ground zero. The tower has again become an inescapable presence at the southern end of Manhattan. From a construction point of view, the completion of the framework, known as the topping out, will be a more significant milestone. That is to occur in a couple of months, when 1 WTC reaches 1,368 feet at its rooftop parapet, identical in height to the original 1 WTC. The ultimate topping out will be the completion next year of an antenna that will bring the structures overall height to 1,776 feet.

Occupy Protesters Spread Labor Demonstrations from Midtown to Downtown

May 2 - While at least 45 arrests were made throughout Tuesday, overall Occupy Wall Street protesters and union advocates had a peaceful day of May Day demonstrations that stretched from Bryant Park in Midtown to Battery City Park in Lower Manhattan, reported NY1. At least two police officers were treated for injuries received during the protests, including an officer who was injured when a protester kicked out the window of a police cruiser. The wide coalition of demonstrators were marking May Day, when unions and labor advocates worldwide advocate for better working conditions and pay. The Occupy Wall Street movement coordinated with labor advocates to have the Tuesday rallies address what they call the vast economic inequalities in the United States. Around 5:30 p.m. the protesters marched down Broadway towards Lower Manhattan, past miles of police barriers and increased security. Speeches were held through the night at the Water Street amphitheater in Battery Park, before the demonstrators largely dispersed peacefully after 10 p.m. Between five and 10 arrests were made as police cleared out the throngs from Lower Manhattan. The spring and summer promises to bring many more marches, demonstrations and occasional flare-ups with police.

LMCCC Gets a New, Reduced, Lease on Life

May 3 - The Lower Manhattan Construction Command Center (LMCCC) expects to maintain its current level of service, despite losing approximately two thirds of its staff in the last year, by changing its focus, according to the Battery Park City Broadsheet. Testimony last week at the joint hearing of the City Council Lower Manhattan Redevelopment and Transportation Committees indicated that the LMCCC plans to focus on managing construction schedules in Lower Manhattan at sites other than the World Trade Center. The LMCCC holds weekly coordination meetings with private and public project representatives, utility companies and public authorities, as well as City and State agencies. At present, the LMCCC is tracking more than 55 construction projects from new buildings to transportation and parks projects. Work on the WTC site is expected to continue into 2015, peaking between 2011 and the third quarter of 2012. As a result, the LMCCC will shift its focus to private projects, while preserving its role in construction coordination, environmental compliance and community outreach. Meanwhile, the LMCCC has instituted structural changes -- including personnel cuts and relocation to free commercial space in the Port Authority leased building at 115 Broadway.

Bike Share Docks for Lower Manhattan Revealed in Semi-Public Rollout

May 3 - The New York City Department of Transportation continues to show community boards in Brooklyn and Manhattan where it plans to installBike Sharestations, reported WNYC. The DOT has promised to post a map of the entire system online once it is done, and the actual program is up and running by mid-July. The DOT presentation showed where the bike share docks would go around Lower Manhattan, and CB1 will hold 42 of them. The locations were whittled down through a series of meetings with department staff and community board members. Twelve would require the removal of three or four parking spaces per location; the stations would also be installed on street sites not used for parking, sidewalks, parks and plazas, and private property. She said the department tried to spread the the bike docks evenly throughout Lower Manhattan, and place them near subway stations, large institutions like New York Law School, and tourist sites like south Street Seaport and the boat to the Statue of Liberty.