Around Ground Zero - Close Up at a Distance: Mapping, Technology, and Politics - page 83

THE MAP
New York, 2001-2002— GROUND ZERO (also referred to as the inner zone, the pile,
the pit, the site, the zone) is where the twin towers and the neighboring buildings
of the World Trade Center collapsed, leaving a 16-story pile of debris and frag -
ments of the exterior structural walls. The pile, now removed, consisted primarily
of dust made up of the pulverized contents of the towers, extending deep into the
underground base of the complex. As this foundation is excavated, “the bathtub,”
a 70 foot-deep slurry wall holding back the Hudson River and dating from the con -
struction of the towers, has been exposed at the western side of the site.
The site is accessible to construction and rescue workers, firefighters and police
involved in these efforts, public officials and the press, and others with special
authorization. Recovery and removal operations go on 24 hours a day.
As of early March 2002, some 3,000 people are thought to have died at Ground
Zero, including the 147 passengers aboard the two planes that struck the towers.
The debris is removed carefully to allow for the identification of the missing.
Ambulances bearing the remains of the victims are increasingly rare; a police
escort may indicate that they are carrying the body of a firefighter, police officer,
or emergency worker.
Very large CRANES , typically used in mining operations, were used to remove
most of the debris, and in the process became a new landmark for downtown
Manhattan.
TRUCKS carrying debris from the site leave it frequently. The rubble is taken
to Piers 6 and 25 and loaded onto BARGES for shipment across New York Harbor
to the Fresh Kills landfill on Staten Island, where it is reexamined by investiga -
tors and engineers. What remains of the steel structure is transported to Brooklyn
for examination and then to scrapyards in New Jersey for recycling. The debris is
estimated to weigh 1.35 million tons, about two thirds of which had been removed
by March.
There is no PUBLIC ACCESS to Ground Zero beyond the “red line.” Although it
runs through buildings and other obstacles, it is visible as a chain-link fence cov -
ered in green fabric. Several construction access gates at major streets are guarded
by police or National Guard troops. Between the fence and inner zone are areas
used for staging, storage, construction and emergency vehicles. The GREEN FENCE
prevents visitors from interfering with recovery and demolition work and ensures
the safety of the public. The temporary barriers can be moved to allow for differ -
ent conditions on a daily basis. Though segments of the fence obstruct the view,
visitors have appropriated them as sites of memory and witness.