Freedom Tower Update: As the eighth anniversary of 9/11 approaches, construction of the Freedom Tower continues to move forward. Parts of the National September 11 Memorial, which will be located elsewhere on a 16-acre site, should be finished by 2011.

Both structures have been the subject of some debate, but public perception of them is improving, and developers remain confident that their work will act as a fitting tribute to the victims of 9/11.

The Freedom Tower is due to be completed in 2013.

The New York City Freedom Tower, which will stand 1,776 feet tall on the site of the former World Trade Center, is the work of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation. It will serve as a beacon of freedom, and demonstrate the resolve of the United States, and the people of New York City.

Construction on the tower, which will have a cubic base, began in early 2006. Steel became visible aboveground in 2007, and by 2013 the building will be ready for occupancy - twelve years after the World Trade Center was destroyed by terrorist attacks.

The site will also feature the Reflecting Absence memorial, which will honor the 2,986 men and women who died as a result of the terrorist attacks which thrust America, and the world, into war. Over 2,500 people died after the World Trade Center came crashing down to earth, and leaders vow they will never be forgotten.

Smoke clogged the air for many weeks after September 11th, and the rubble burned for months. New Yorkers, and America, will never be the same.