Crews at the World Trade Center site are rushing to fix a 90-foot-wide hole in the retaining wall that keeps out ground water.
The concrete wall, known as the bathtub, has sprung some small leaks, and according to the New York Times, the ground water is now only about a foot below the lower rim of the hole.
When a huge hole was dug out of Lower Manhattan to build the foundation for the World Trade Center more than 30 years ago, workers constructed the wall to keep the nearby waters of the Hudson River from seeping in through the earth. The seven-story pit is now almost all that remains of the World Trade Center after months of removing debris.
Engineers say there is no imminent danger of the wall collapsing or of the pit filling with water.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg sought to reassure Lower Manhattan residents that the problem will be solved.
“The story in Times that water may come gushing over in tidal wave is just so unlikely it’s not worth talking about,” Bloomberg said Thursday. “The bathtub wall is secure. They will continue to put anchors in as they remove the rubble. This is not something public should be concerned about.”
The collapse of the south tower tore the large gash in the wall September 11. Engineers knew about the damage, but the excavation only recently reached the lower levels of the south tower after a temporary ramp for construction vehicles was removed.
The concrete wall, known as the bathtub, has sprung some small leaks, and according to the New York Times, the ground water is now only about a foot below the lower rim of the hole.
When a huge hole was dug out of Lower Manhattan to build the foundation for the World Trade Center more than 30 years ago, workers constructed the wall to keep the nearby waters of the Hudson River from seeping in through the earth. The seven-story pit is now almost all that remains of the World Trade Center after months of removing debris.
Engineers say there is no imminent danger of the wall collapsing or of the pit filling with water.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg sought to reassure Lower Manhattan residents that the problem will be solved.
“The story in Times that water may come gushing over in tidal wave is just so unlikely it’s not worth talking about,” Bloomberg said Thursday. “The bathtub wall is secure. They will continue to put anchors in as they remove the rubble. This is not something public should be concerned about.”
The collapse of the south tower tore the large gash in the wall September 11. Engineers knew about the damage, but the excavation only recently reached the lower levels of the south tower after a temporary ramp for construction vehicles was removed.