New York, NY - TNT Explosions Set For Ground Zero

New York, NY - Powerful explosions will shake Ground Zero on Monday as engineers test the use of charges to clear bedrock for the Freedom Tower's foundation. "This is nothing unusual for New York," said Mel Ruffini, the Freedom Tower's project director at Tishman Construction.

But the project, intended to speed construction, could rattle the nerves of some residents and downtown workers who last heard explosions at Ground Zero on 9/11.
Ruffini said measures are being taken to limit the sound from the blasts. "I've been told we're not expecting anyone as far as Church Street to hear anything," he said.

If the tests are successful, as expected, blasting will be conducted on alternating weekdays for about two months, with three to four explosions each day. The project will save 2,300 hours of drilling and hammering at bedrock and about 50,000 gallons of diesel fuel, Ruffini said.