NEW YORK — A piece of steel from the World Trade Center began its trip across country Wednesday, destined for Colorado to thank firefighters there who helped search for victims in the rubble of ground zero after 9/11.
Lehigh Valley Live reported that the 5-foot-long, 3,500-pound I-beam is one of the last pieces of the World Trade Center and is being giving to a fire department in Fort Collins, Colo.
“This tribute is a national response, just like the response to 9/11 was a national response,” said John Kruk, assistant chief of the Hope Township (N.J.) Volunteer Fire Department.
The beam will move along I-80 from New York to Colorado. Firefighters stood guard along highways to pay tribute to the victims and those who aided them. Other fire departments along the route will also turnout to honor the beam as it passes.
The beam is being escorted by more than 100 emergency service agencies, including the Patriot Guard Riders and American Veterans. When it arrives in Fort Collins, it is to be used as a memorial outside one of the firehouses until a more permanent monument can be built.
Colorado’s Poudre Fire Authority sent members of its urban search and rescue team to New York after the attacks.
“We had members that worked on the pile, said Kevin Housley, a firefighter with Poudre Fire Authority told Patch.com. “It’s a very special piece, will be a special memorial.”
You can see photos of the beam’s journey here.