World Trade Center spire is hoisted 104-stories

2012-12-13 10:56:12 GMT2012-12-13 18:56:12(Beijing Time)

Symbol: The WTC's director of construction described the milestone in their work as a capping symbol of America's resilience.(Photo/Agencies)

The first section of the steel spire set to crown One World Trade Center as the third tallest building in the world has been hoisted 1,776 feet to its top today.

Described as a symbol of resilience from the construction workers and people watching below, nine of the 18 pieces were lifted up 104-stories in New York’s lower Manhattan on Wednesday in a moving 45-minute display.

"It means a lot to all of us. It really shows the resilience of the region and even the world," Steven Plate, WTC's director of construction told CBS. "This is part of history in the making."

Arriving in lower Manhattan on Tuesday via a barge from Port Newark, New Jersey, the pieces capped a 1,500-nautical-mile journey after their manufacture in Montreal, Canada.

The spire, still in construction, will top the already tallest building in New York.

But will its completion it will also make it the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere and the third tallest in the world.

The remaining nine pieces of the 408-foot, $20 million spire are being trucked in from Canada and another plant in South Plainfield, N.J.

Once completed, with the installation expected to take about three months, the spire will serve as a communications tower.

"Everything on this project is either cutting edge, state-of-the-art or something that’s never been done before." said Mr Plate.The building today is slated to be finished by late 2013.