The Battle For Ground Zero, Part 223

With construction on the Freedom Tower moving forward, the deconstruction of the Deustche Bank builing progressing in fits and starts (and if you want to keep tabs on the air quality in the vicinity check here), news that a section of West Street will be closed off and torn up to search for yet more remains has come as a bit of a shock to some families who have yet to find any remains of their loved ones.

The debris from the collapsing towers pierced a wide swath of West Street and shut down this heavily travelled road for weeks. It is possible that some remains were not recovered before the roadway was temporarily restored.

One of three lanes on the northbound side of West Street – between Liberty and Vesey Streets – was shut down this morning as crews excavate the area for human remains.

The search for new remains started last October when Con Ed workers discovered more than 200 bones in a manhole.

The closure will be in effect around the clock now through Sunday, May 13th at 10 p.m.

The Daily News notes that 445 remains were recovered from utility vaults in and around the Ground Zero site, and nearly 800 were recovered from the Deustche Bank building, despite that site having been searched for remains.

This comes on the heels of a new DNA identification technique being used to help match remains that have gone unidentified for more than five years.

All the construction work, which is still just gearing up, is proving to be an inconvenience to some who live in the neighborhood and some are griping about it. Will these folks try to slow the pace of rebuilding?

Financing of the 9/11 memorial is also continuing. The WTC Memorial is allowing people to purchase cobblestones for $500 each that will be engraved with the donee's name.