Cost-cutters slashed the price of New York's September 11 memorial in
half to US$500 million while preserving crucial design elements like
waterfalls and reflecting pools where the Twin Towers once stood,
officials said on Tuesday.

The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation unveiled the redesign a
month after builder Frank Sciame was hired to bring costs down to US$500
million. The price tag had climbed to nearly US$1 billion, drawing howls
of protest from politicians.

Bickering over financing, security and design had already delayed the
rebuilding of the World Trade Centre site, including the 540-metre
Freedom Tower, which will replace the Twin Towers in the Manhattan
skyline.

The new projected memorial cost is US$510 million $10 million more than
Governor George Pataki and Mayor Michael Bloomberg wanted.

But the redesign allows builders to meet the construction deadline of
September 11, 2009, and preserves most of Michael Arad's original
design.

Arad envisioned twin pools marking the base of the Twin Towers with
waterfalls cascading around all four sides of each pool, feeding
underground pools with a continuous stream.

Visitors would descend below ground and look up at the waterfalls, with
the names of all 2,979 killed displayed around the pools.

The savings come from a combination of eliminating some design elements,
scaling back infrastructure, passing off costs to other government
agencies, and efficiencies like having the landowner the Port Authority
of New York and New Jersey assume responsibility for construction.

Costs were further reduced by moving the names of the victims to ground
level. The redesign removes some underground galleries but preserves the
subterranean view of the waterfalls.

The public has a week to comment on the redesign, after which various
public agencies will consider it for adoption