The Sept. 11 crash of the terrorist-piloted, fuel-laden jet caused nearly 2 million sq ft of damage to portions of Wedge 1 and Wedge 2 at the Pentagon. Despite the devastation, rebuilding efforts began almost immediately.
In June 2002, military officials turned off the spotlights that shone on the west wall of the Pentagon, where the airplane struck. To close the ceremony, the lights that had illuminated the exterior of the building during after-dark construction for 273 consecutive nights were turned off. The lights were turned off because contractors had completed exterior restoration work and were ready to move inside.
Walker Lee Evey, program manager of the Pentagon renovation, expects the E-Wedge portion of the Pentagon renovation to be ready for occupancy by the Sept. 11 anniversary of the attack. Due to the 24/7 efforts of construction teams, Evey said that a renovation normally taking three years would be completed in one year. According to the Pentagram, a government newsletter, the construction of the core and shell of a building usually takes one-and-a-half years, but was completed in five months.
 Called the Phoenix Project, the fast-track restoration of 9-11 damage has cost $400 million so far and is expected to rise to $501 million, much less than the estimate of $740 million. After contractors complete the Phoenix Project in September 2002, a design/build contracting team is expected to begin work on a larger Pentagon renovation at the end of September 2002. Overall completion of that renovation project is expected in December 2012.
Back on Sept. 15, 2001, the Department of Defense awarded a contract to Hensel Phelps Construction Co., Chantilly, Va., to initiate immediate action to rebuild portions of the Pentagon damaged in the terrorist attack and to continue other renovation activities in the Pentagon. Chantilly, Va.-based electrical contractor M.C. Dean is installing datacom, security and life-safety wiring in the Pentagon, and Syska Hennessy Group performed engineering design services, preparation of contract documentation and construction administration services for HVAC, electrical, security and telecommunications infrastructure for the Wedge 1 portion of the damaged area. This work included an upgrade to the pre-Sept. 11 design to allow for improved flexibility, redundancy and defensibility.
“Extensive field coordination among contractors and subcontractors was conducted on a daily basis to improve the design and ‘constructability,’” a company spokesman said. “The third and final phase of this project involved development of comprehensive tenant fit-out with new tenant requirements developed in light of the Sept. 11 attack.”
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