World Trade Center Complex Might Be Facing Leaking Problems

World Trade Center Complex Might Be Facing Leaking Problems

A leak has recently been discovered within the World Trade Center complex. The situation worsens as the leakage is presumed to come from the slurry wall which divides the recently reconstructed Ground Zero from the Hudson River. According to DNAinfo‘s sources, rushing water has been heard in the last two weeks by workers, “behind the walls of the lower concourse of the complex”. As the cause is yet to be identified, Port Authority urgently hired a team of engineering and construction experts to evaluate the situation.

There is a fear that the slurry wall might not have been well insulated. The implications are not mild – sections of walls and other previous constructions along lower subterranean concourses will be dismantled in order to reach the running water and find its origin. Needless to say, the work will be very costly and will most definitely delay the opening of the commercial space, where the problem seems to lie.

Dating back to the 1960’s, the slurry wall was highly acclaimed as engineering achievement. At 4 feet thick and approximately 100 feet deep, the construction piece withholds the pressure of the Hudson River – even after 9/11, when a stretch along Liberty Street shifted more than 10 inches. A portion of the slurry wall can be seen inside the National September 11 Memorial Museum, where it was left exposed due to its emotional significance.

The Port Authority spent tens of millions of dollars to repair the slurry wall after 9/11. According to a Port Authority spokeswoman, there are no reports of running water or any other issues regarding the slurry wall. To demonstrate, she e-mailed a photo of the undamaged exposed slurry wall, along the PATH train tunnels. However, officials are concerned the leak comes from a stretch of the 3,200 foot-long slurry wall that is hidden from view.

By: Ana Cosma