As we spoke about big construction slowing to a crawl in New York yesterday, one that we're certain will be finished come hell or high water, is the World Trade Center reconstruction efforts, which, following what seemed like months of bad press about slowdowns and cut backs, had two pieces of positive news come out this week. First, they're removing the ramp that allowed victims, mourners, and officials to visit the site in order to start building out more of the memorial. Second, the planners for the memorial have released information that the "survivor staircase" used by people escaping the two buildings, will be worked into the memorial and were just moved into their permanent placement yesterday (again). So good news all around for a site that desperately needed it. Here's a bit about the latter:

Preservationists -- and survivors who used the staircase to get quickly from the trade center complex to the street below on Sept. 11 -- had battled to see it preserved in some way. One group put it on a list of the nation's most endangered historic places.

Eventually, the stairs will be part of the entrance pavilion to the below-ground museum, expected to open in 2012. Visitors won't be able to use the stairs but will see them as they descend a parallel stairway from street level into the museum.