Visitors will be able to enter the base of the Statue of Liberty again this summer, but they’ll need a reservation, and they won’t be able to go where they’d probably like to - the crown. Interior Secretary Gale Norton said that the statue, closed since the 9/11 attacks, will reopen in July after completion of work to make the pedestal secure for visitors. But an international tradition - the long steep climb from the ground to the crown’s observation deck - apparently has become a victim of terrorism fears. “Safety of our citizens and preservation of the statue are our main goals,” said Norton, who called the statue “an attractive terrorist target.” There is none more attractive, according to security experts: The statue is a relatively fragile, world-famous symbol in the middle of New York Harbor. The observation area atop the statue’s pedestal will reopen, but not the crown, which is reachable only by spiral staircases inside the statue that cannot be evacuated easily or quickly. The statue is the only major national landmark that has remained closed since 9/11. Norton said the statue has remained closed because it had too many potential fire and security problems and too few exits. New exits, additional screening procedures and a reservation system to shorten waits will be implemented once the 118-year-old monument reopens. Visitors will be able to see the interior of the statue through the pedestal’s new glass ceiling. Liberty Island, the statue’s home, reopened three months after 9/11. Visitors are screened by metal detectors before they board ferries to the island from Lower Manhattan. Visits are down at least 40%. Tourism analysts agree that’s largely because people want to go inside the statue. While many visitors were happy to hear the statue was partly reopening, others lamented the loss of access to the crown.
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