By JAIME LUTZ

Workers will ascend 1 World Trade Center tonight to remove large chunks of ice that have been falling off the unfinished skyscraper and construction hoists and bombarding streets below.

The Port Authority restricted access to a small section of Manhattan by the World Trade Center after a report of falling ice on Friday. Ice chunks fell on Sunday, too, as workers began breaking down the ice for removal.

Cops in hardhats stood watch near the World Trade Center PATH station - a commuter train that connects New Jersey to New York - to protect the throngs of travelers who pour through the station each day.

"I don't have any reports of any injuries of any sort [from falling World Trade Center ice] ," said New York City Police Sgt. Lee Jones.

Much of the ice fell from the tower's external construction hoist, which is in the process of being removed, said Anthony Hayes, a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which owns the building. Additional ice has collected on the 1,776-foot tall building.

The ice largely accumulated because the tower is not yet sealed or heated, officials said.

"Certainly once the building is complete and there is heat running through the building, we expect to minimize the situation," Hayes said.

The problem will never be eliminated completely.

"Ice accumulation on buildings happens throughout Manhattan," he said.

The ice removal was scheduled to happen at midnight when the Financial District surrounding the tower is relatively deserted.

One World Trade Center rises over downtown Manhattan. (Credit: John Moore/Getty Images)