Relatives of 9/11 victims expressed dismay today over new delays to a museum due to be built alongside the Ground Zero memorial.
Authorities in New York have admitted there is no completion date for the building, which was originally supposed to have opened on the 11th anniversary of the attack on September 11, 2001.
The museum was intended as a centre where families could mourn victims, display photographs and educate people about the atrocity. But today it emerged that construction has largely come to a halt because of a financial dispute between the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which owns the site, and the foundation that controls the memorial and museum.
Jim Riches, whose firefighter son died in the World Trade Center, said: “It’s all politics, and it’s ridiculous. They should put politics aside and get down to business.”
Patricia Reilly, whose sister, Lorraine Lee, was killed in the south tower, said: “The memorial is open, but that’s only half the tribute to those who were killed. The museum is the place where they’re going to tell the story about the people — who they were, where they were, what they were doing and what happened to them that day.”
Work has been slowed since late last year, when the subcontractors at the site stopped being paid. The Port Authority claimed the Sept 11 memorial foundation owed it $300 million for infrastructure and revised project costs, while the foundation argued the port instead owed it money because of delays.
A spokesman for the port said that discussions were continuing. The foundation declined to comment on the concerns of victims’ families.
