Rise of Freedom: Enduring the Cold

Foundation of Tower Three (Joe Woolhead, Silverstein Properties)

Nineteen, fifteen, twenty; quick, what do those numbers have in common? Hint: they are low, the low temperatures in New York City for some of the days this January. As of yesterday the average low for January was 25 degrees Fahrenheit.

The truth is that’s about normal and that’s not news for people working outside. People like Angelo Sicchio, who is working on the foundation of Three World Trade Center.

"Yes it's cold,” he said, “but we are used to this weather. We work in this business for thirty years, it's not too much for us."

Joe Regula is putting in concrete forms for Tower Three’s foundation and he couldn’t agree more.

“If you stand around you’re going to get cold, so you have to keep going, keep yourself busy," he said.

For Regula, summer is the season to fear.

“In the winter you can remove something, but in summer what are you going to take off, skin?"

They’re a tough bunch and that isn’t lost on Sean Johnson, who is overseeing the construction of Tower Three for Silverstein Properties.

"The men and women in construction are pretty resilient, they are tough,” said Johnson. “They will show up to work whether it's raining or snowing.”

As he talks, Johnson’s smile indicates the pride and respect he has for the men and women doing the hard labor. The cold may not affect them, but it is something to consider.

“When we pour concrete, we sometimes tent the decks and temporarily heat the decks so that we can maintain the right temperature so our concrete sets and doesn't crack and we don't have issues at a future date," he said.

The grin on Johnson’s face is replaced by a serious look when he considers the dangers winter does bring.

"Certainly down in the World Trade Center site the wind is a factor,” he said.

Johnson sees safety as the number one priority.

“Hoists will not run or cranes will be shut down because of extreme wind, and that usually happens in the winter time," he added.

But the reality everyone working at the site faces is one that nags so many of us. Why has this taken so long? That question gets asked a lot and the truth is Sicchio, Regula and Johnson aren’t the people to ask. They are looking ahead and when it comes to the weather you don’t have to be totally powerless.

"To a certain extent you roll with the punches, however you need to prepare, we know there is a snow storm coming, the meteorologists are saying 6-12 inches this Wednesday,” Johnson said. “So we have to make sure we are prepared to clean the snow as quickly as possible because we don't want to lose the time for the work that has to be [done].”

To see the latest segment in the Rise of Freedom series tune into Fox Report with Shepard Smith, tonight at 7 p.m. ET. You can also catch up on all our segments by going to www.foxnews.com/freedom. To learn even more about the work and progress you can also visit these sites: www.wtc.com, www.panynj.gov/wtcprogress and www.national911memorial.org.