Flight 93 National Memorial receives federal funding

(Shanksville) -- The federal Department of Transportation is giving the National Park Service $1.2 million to finish access road work at the Flight 93 Memorial in Somerset County.

The Flight 93 National Memorial marks the grounds where a hijacked United Airlines jet crashed during the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks. Investigators determined the hijackers likely planned to crash the plane in Washington, D.C., but were thwarted when the 40 passengers and crew fought back and the plane crashed as a result.

An estimated 400,000 visitors each year will travel through the memorial on the road.

A private group, the Flight 93 National Memorial Campaign, has said it still needs to raise about $5 million more to complete the entire memorial, including a learning center and a tower with 40 wind chimes -- one for each victim.