A new documentary airing on PBS recounts the efforts of the NYC Department of Design and Construction (DDC) as it spearheaded the gargantuan task of cleaning Ground Zero following the attacks on the World Trade Center 20 years ago. 

“NYC DDC 9/11” by Ironbound Films features a collection of historic footage interspersed with interviews of DDC staff, offering a candid recollection of the events of 9/11. The documentary goes into detail about DDC’s steadfast process of removing 1.8 million tons of debris from the site. 

“As the City faced one of its greatest crises in its history, DDC managed cleanup of the wreckage of lower Manhattan, even as the search for fellow New Yorkers continued,” said DDC Commissioner Jamie Torres-Springer. “This effort was predicted to take years, but DDC staff was able to accomplish it in eight months of long, hard, and emotionally difficult work. The story of this work is now told vividly by current and former DDC staff members who shared their unique insights for the film.”

The documentary depicts how the DDC, which had been created only five years earlier, organized a site plan that divided Ground Zero into four sectors and engaged with contractors and trade unions to ensure each sector was safely cleared, all while meeting the needs of first responders still searching for victims and navigating the hazards of the destruction.

Following the completion of the cleanup, the program chronicles how much of an achievement completing this immense project was for the DDC, not only due to the speed by which it was completed but by the impact it had on bringing people together and fostering healing.  

“NYC DDC 9/11” can be viewed on PBS’s website here. It will also air on September 10th at 9:00 PM EST on PBS.