Visitors to the Statue of Liberty, closed to the public after the Sept. 11 attacks because of security concerns, will not be allowed up the cramped circular metal staircase into the crown when the 151-foot symbol in New York Harbor reopens on Aug. 3.
For the first time, visitors will need reservations for tours at specific times, in an effort to eliminate the hours-long lines that marked most trips to see the 118-year-old statue.
The public will be able to view the statue’s interior through a glass ceiling at roughly the level of Lady Liberty’s feet, the government said Wednesday.
Liberty Island reopened three months after the 2001 attacks, but the statue has remained off limits while federal officials tried to create a more secure system for public visits.
Despite $7 million in security, safety and lighting upgrades to the statue, safety concerns remain, so some restrictions will continue.
Visitors without a reservation can take tours around the island and go the gift shop.
The reopened pedestal contains the Statue of Liberty Museum, which showcases the statue’s original torch. It was replaced during the 1986 centennial restoration.
Many of the changes are designed to make it easier to evacuate the structure in the event of a fire. They include improved lighting, a new fire suppression system and fire walls, and an additional staircase, for exiting the pedestal and Fort Wood, the old stone fort that the statue rests on.
