Federal government to buy land for Flight 93 memorial

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Pennsylvania landowners around the September 11, 2001, crash site of Flight 93 have reached an agreement with the federal government allowing construction of a permanent memorial there, the government announced Monday.

U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said the National Park Service has “reached agreements with all the landowners needed” to establish the permanent memorial for the 40 people killed in the terrorist hijacking nearly eight years ago.

Salazar said the government will pay the landowners approximately $9.5 million.

One of several airliners hijacked on September 11, 2001, by terrorists who intended to use them as flying bombs, United Airlines Flight 93 went down near Shanksville, in western Pennsylvania.

Salazar described the negotiations as cordial, with landowners wanting “to walk away saying we’ve done it for the right reasons.”

…

A Park Service official expects construction to begin in November.

…