The Statue of Liberty’s crown, with its exhilarating view of New York’s skyscrapers, bridges and seaport, is reopening on Independence Day for the first time since terrorists leveled the World Trade Center just across the harbor.
Safety and security issues have been addressed and 50,000 people, 10 at a time, will get to visit the 265-foot-high crown in the next two years before it is closed again for renovation, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said Friday.
“On July 4, we are giving America a special gift,” Salazar said at a news conference on nearby Ellis Island. “For the first time in nearly eight years we will once again be able to have one of the most awesome experiences in the world.”
Interior Department officials said they had not yet determined how to choose who climbs to the top. Spokeswoman Kendra Barkoff said a lottery is one possibility. Salazar “wants the tickets to be distributed not based on your connections but in a fair and equitable way,” she said.
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The statue was closed to the public because of security concerns after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The base, pedestal and outdoor observation deck were reopened in 2004 but the crown remained off-limits.
Tourists can now climb to the top of the statue’s pedestal and a lower observation area. Starting July 4, they’ll be able to mount the 168 steps leading to the crown and its 25 windows.
Salazar said the decision to reopen it was based on a National Park Service analysis that included recommendations on reducing risk to visitors. Only 30 visitors an hour will be allowed to visit the crown, and they will be brought up in groups of 10, guided by a park ranger.
The Interior Department said 40 percent of American citizens can trace a family connection to Ellis Island.
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