New York's One WTC Spire Nears End of 1,500 Mile Tow

The spire that will crown the jewel of the Manhattan skyline is making its way over the holiday weekend towards One World Trade Center.

A barge carrying eight of the 18 sections of spire for One WTC is en route to New York City on a 1,500 nautical-mile journey south from Canada down the Atlantic seaboard on the Atlantic Salvor barge. The vessel left Valleyfield, Quebec, on November 16 and is expected to arrive early next week at Port Newark.

The sections of the spire, ranging in weight from approximately five tons to more than 67 tons, will then be readied for transfer to Lower Manhattan. The remaining smaller pieces, which will travel from Canada via truck, are expected to arrive in mid-December.

The progress of the barge and spire may be tracked online at WTC Spire Tracking as the steel makes its way to the region — much like the way the world tracks Santa's travels on Christmas Eve. Once the 408-foot spire is installed atop One World Trade, the building will stand 1,776 feet tall, making it the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere. Installation is expected to take approximately three months, depending upon weather conditions....