A memorial for the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York City will now remain incomplete until just before the 10th anniversary of that terrible day.

Like any endeavor that involves politics, the memorial and accompanying museum - long planned to be ready to open in 2009, has now been pushed back another two years, with the announcement this week that it will be completed by Sept. 11, 2011.

Groups with various interests have tried to take control of the rebuilding effort at ground zero, and the memorial part of the project has been stalled by disputes over its design, content and cost.

Construction on the memorial actually began last year but the architect was forced to stop and change designs when it became clear the cost was going to be much higher than expected.

Once completed, the Sept. 11 memorial will include pools with waterfalls where the twin towers once stood; the names of the people killed in the New York attacks will be cut into stone; and a museum dedicated to the site will educate future generations of what transpired there.

Yes, cleaning up the enormous amount of debris at the World Trade Center site was a daunting task, and the exhaustive search for victims' remains went on for years - as it should have - but 10 years is too long to wait for a permanent memorial to be built.

The delay is inexcusable and stands in the way of much-needed healing.

A constant stream of native New Yorkers, Americans from across the country, and visitors from around the world make their way to the World Trade Center site to pay their respects to those who died there.

The victims and their mourners deserve to have a respectable memorial in place sooner rather than later.