BELLEVILLE — A groundbreaking ceremony for the September 11 Memorial Walkway of Southern Illinois was held at 11 a.m. Tuesday.

The memorial will be on city-owned property at 1125 S. Illinois St. by Belleville's Firehouse No. 4.

The memorial committee plans to finish the memorial in time for a dedication on Sept. 11 this year.

A 7,100-pound steel column from the World Trade Center will be the centerpiece of the memorial. The design also will feature a Flight 93 Memorial, a timeline of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, and a memorial in the shape of a pentagon.

Sharon Strausbaugh, vice president of the memorial committee, said the memorial committee has raised $80,000 for the project. The committee has not given an estimate of the total project.

Organizers initially aimed to raise $100,000 before breaking ground, but the committee hopes more people will donate to the cause once they see work being done on site, Strausbaugh said.

For more information on the memorial and how to donate, visit www.wtcmemorial.us or call the Greater Belleville Chamber of Commerce at 618-233-6769.