A pedestrian zone near the World Trade Center that is visited by as many as 15,000 people an hour will now be widened to comfortably fit all the walkers, according to The Associated Press.
The blocks between Church and West streets are the World Trade Center's most congested pedestrian zone, but due to new funding, the walkway will now be widened, the AP reported.
Erica Dumas, a spokeswoman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, said the area is currently at about 30 feet wide, but the walkway had been as narrow as 8 feet in some locations, congesting foot traffic on a daily basis during rush hours, according to the AP.
"The frozen zone is shrinking inch by inch, and New Yorkers are reclaiming the World Trade Center," said Catherine McVay Hughes, the chair of Community Board 1 covering most of lower Manhattan, the AP reported.
"This feels better. It's not as crowded," Wall Street trader Osman Adiss said as he rushed home to New Jersey, according to the AP. "It was really tight before."
The majority of the fencing around the September 11 Memorial have been taken down, opening up the area to the 11 million tourist that visit annually, according to the AP. The fences near West Street have also been removed.
Of the four Trade Center buildings, two have been completed, including the skyscraper at 4 World Trade Center where Port Authority will be the main tenant, the AP reported.
Last year, construction on 3 World Trade Center had stopped at the eighth floor because there wasn't an "anchor tenant," but construction began again in August after Conde Nast became the main tenant, according to the AP. The New York Liberty Development Corporation approved $1.6 billion in Liberty and Recovery Zone Bonds on Monday to continue construction and development.
Kenneth Adams, director of New York Liberty Development Corporation, called the resumed construction a "major milestone" for the site, adding that Tower 3, which is scheduled to be done in 2018, is a crucial component for the area.
