Nine of 18 giant steel pieces of the spire arrived at the site in New York City Tuesday via barge from Port Newark, N.J.
The arrival marked the end of a 1,500-nautical-mile journey that started in Canada on Nov. 16.
The first piece will be hoisted on top of the 104-story One World Trade Center.
A plant outside Montreal produced the 18 pieces. The spire will make the tower the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere.
The remaining nine pieces of the 408-foot, $20 million spire are being trucked in from Canada and another plant in South Plainfield, N.J.