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Originally Posted by NYT
A persistent water leak is among the problems that have delayed the opening of the mall, which was supposed to be operating by now, to the first half of 2016.
Authority officials and Westfield executives say they are working together to overcome last-minute hurdles and get the space ready as soon as possible.
The latest twist involves water penetration around the construction site of 3 World Trade Center, an office tower abutting the hub, which began in late summer.
What pedestrians perceive as the solid ground level around the 16-acre trade center is in fact the roof of a 70-foot-deep underground complex that includes much of the hub, including the PATH platforms and many of Westfield’s spaces, most of the memorial museum, 1,000 feet of the No. 1 subway line and enormous mechanical areas.
As many roofs do, this one began springing leaks. The Port Authority traced the sources of the water to the constant spraying done by workers to reduce dust levels as they break up concrete, and to the fact that Tower 3, still under construction, is open to the elements.
Coincidentally or not, DNAInfo reported on Aug. 25 that workers at the trade center were hearing the sound of water behind the walls in the lower concourses and said there were fears the seepage was coming from the slurry wall lining the foundations. The authority replied at the time that “its most recent inspection did not identify any leak in the slurry wall,” a situation that would have required a full-scale evacuation of the site. It did not elaborate on other possible leak sources, however.
On Tuesday, Steven Plate, the director of World Trade Center construction for the Port Authority, said: “The dripping has been reduced dramatically. We’ve made some significant progress. Several spaces are dry.” He said the leak had affected only four of Westfield’s retail spaces.
The authority expects to begin turning over retail spaces in the Oculus to Westfield “any day now,” Mr. Plate said. Eataly is already in possession of its space at 4 World Trade Center and has begun building.
The Oculus should open in the first half of 2016, Mr. Plate said. During a visit on Monday, it looked fairly close to completion. Though the vast floor of grayish-white Lasa marble from Italy was largely covered by plywood, not much imagination was needed to see the glowing, cathedral-like space filled with visitors.
By fall of next year, two new PATH train platforms are to be in service, in addition to those already used by commuters. Finally, the mezzanine above the platforms, which is linked to the Oculus by a grand staircase, is to be finished by the end of next year. The authority has abandoned its plan to open an interim passageway through the Oculus.
“We want to be aggressive because we owe it to the people, the patrons of New York, New Jersey and the region,” Mr. Plate said. “But we want it to be the wonderful experience that we feel they deserve.”
The chief operating officer of Mr. Boulud’s Dinex Group, Brett Traussi, said his company understood that it was getting into an extraordinarily complex and challenging construction project when it signed a lease for an Épicerie Boulud bar, restaurant and grocery store. It had expected to be open this summer.
“It’s bought us a little bit of time to be more prepared,” Mr. Traussi said of the delay.
He made it plain that he thought it would be worth the wait, for a space that is close to the turnstiles of the No. 1 subway and PATH trains, a few doors down from Apple and in a “sun-filled, beautiful atrium.”
The hair stylist John Barrett is adding a fourth salon at the World Trade Center to those he already runs at Bergdorf Goodman and on Bond Street in Manhattan, and in Palm Beach, Fla. He, too, had expected to open this summer.
“We’re chomping at the bit to get going,” said James R. Hedges IV, chief executive of John Barrett Holdings. “Condé Nast and Goldman Sachs are chomping at the bit for us to get our doors open. I’m really bad at delayed gratification. This is like waiting for Santa Claus.”
The latest word, Mr. Hedges said, was that Santa will arrive in January.
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