The approvals now pave the way for construction to continueunimpeded. Ground was broken on the site last April, but theproject has run-up against a number of roadblocks including aredesign, budget increases and security concerns.

The 1,776-foot Freedom Tower, which will be built on the formersite of the World Trade Center, is expected to have variousgovernment entities occupying more than half the facility. The PAis also expected to put the building up for sale. The outer shellwill be completed in 2012, with the entire done in 2015, accordingto PA documents for Thursday's board meeting.

Earlier in the week, New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer backed theproject, despite comments before coming to office to the contrary.At one time he had pegged the project as a 'white elephant' andvowed to meet with the PA when entering office to discuss thefeasibility of the project. But on Tuesday, as reported byGlobeSt.com,Spitzer joined New Jersey Gov. John Corzine and New York City MayorMichael Bloomberg at a press conference to voice theirapproval.