PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, Va. — Steel beams from the ill-fated World Trade Center that have been sitting underneath a tarp for the past two years in Prince William County will be moved to Woodbridge to be preserved.
County officials say a public restoration effort to preserve the steel will begin in early July on the Sean T. Connaughton Plaza at the Prince William County Government Center. The effort is expected to cost upward of $75,000, and a company will be selected through an open bid process to complete the work.
When in Woodbridge, the steel will be set up on large blocks, stored underneath a large carport, and secured behind a chain link fence, and then in what’s described as a major rust-proofing project, preserved for later use in a special memorial to be erected on the grounds of the government center.
“The steel was taken from ground zero and then stored in a landfill outside New York City,” said project Brendon Hannifin, with Prince William County’s Historic Preservation Department. “It’s been outside since 9/11, and this stuff wasn’t meant to be outdoors.”
The four steel beams arrived in Prince William two years ago to much fanfare, after elected county leaders called their connections in New Jersey and arranged for these pieces of the Trade Center to be brought here. Already at the government center, a 9/11 memorial stands to honor several who perished inside of the Pentagon on that fateful day.
At least one county resident – Dumfries Volunteer Firefighter Jeff Simpson – perished at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.
The steel beams in Prince William are described as rusted, and portions of them are still encased in concrete. This marks the first time Hannifin’s department has worked to preserve steel.
“Part of the project will be to test which treatment works best for use on the entire pieces of steel,” said Hannifin. “Portions of the concrete will also get a similar treatment to prevent water from getting behind it freezing, and then cracking.”
For safety reasons, some of the remaining concrete will be removed so they won’t break off and fall when it’s later hoisted in place as part of the final memorial.
The work is expected to take about six weeks to complete. For the permanent memorial, large concrete footers will be needed to hold the steel in place, said Hannifin. Creating those footers will be a separate project from this preservation effort.
The work to preserve the beams is considered to be specialized work, however, Hannifin expects to receive several bids from interested companies. The county plans to hold an open house in Nokesville where interested companies can view the steel on Monday, and then is expected to award the perservation contract June 25.
Potomac District Supervisor Maureen Caddigan expressed interest in having a makeshift memorial in place for an annual remembrance ceremony on September 11, 2013. It’s unclear if the steel will be erected in time for the ceremony.
The beams are expected to be kept under tight security while at on the plaza at the Prince William government center, which is also home of the office of the Prince William County Chief of Police.
