Why is it Taking So Long to Build the Freedom Tower?
The Freedom Tower as photographed from street level in July 2009
As I was reading some 9/11 anniversary material I came across a sad discovery. Construction on the Freedom tower, which had it’s cornerstone laid in 2006, is being continually pushed back. The estimated completion date is 2013, but by some accounts may not be until 2018!
By comparison, the original twin towers were erected simultaneously in just 6 years, and this took place in the late 60’s through early 70’s. That’s two towers in 6-7 years. And 40 years later it’s going to take us twice as long just to build one? How depressing!
In the powder-keg of emotions following 9/11 I remember feeling like we needed to rebuild as soon as possible. I almost felt like we wouldn’t just be erecting a replacement building, but raising a giant middle finger to the religious zealots that perpetrated the attacks, and everyone that sympathized with them. Rebuilding strong and fast would be a testament to American superiority of engineering, technology, and fortuity. Instead, 8 years later, we have a pile of steel beams that stands all of 105 feet tall.
Dubai Tower
In the meantime, the United Arab Emirates have started and finished building the tallest man made structure on the planet, the Dubai Tower. It stands at 2,684 feet, over 900 feet taller than the Freedom Tower’s planned 1,776 height. Frickin’ Dubai! If they can do it why can’t we?
If anything, we’re proving to the rest of the world that America is the biggest bureaucracy on the planet. While the 9/11 attacks are clearly attributed to Al-Queda, the mess concerning rebuilding can only be blamed on ourselves.
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