April 14, 2009
Report expected on Statue of Liberty crown access
April 15.
That’s the date the report is due that will help determine whether there is a safe way to reopen the crown of the Statue of Liberty.
If there is indeed a safe way, the crown could reopen by July 4, U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said in March.
Currently, visitors can get no higher than just about even with Lady Liberty’s toes. And even then, only some visitors are allowed to get that close. The trick is to get one of the free Monument Passes. “The total number varies throughout the year based on the island’s hours - right now there are a little over 2,500 distributed each day,” a spokesperson for Statue Cruises told NewYorkology. “They are divided up proportionally between Battery Park and Liberty State Park. About 500 from that total is distributed first come, first serve day of at the ticket booth, so the remained are given out to individuals who purchase Reserve Tickets with Monument Access.”
All ticketing is handled by Statue Cruises, which is the only ferry company licensed by the National Park Service to transport people to Liberty and Ellis islands.
The crown has been closed to the public since Sept. 11, 2001. It’s remained closed not because of terrorism fears, but worries that its central double-helix staircase could become a firetrap as there is no good way to offer a secondary exit route. Access to the torch has been off limits since 1916.
April 14, 2009 12:17 PM in Architecture, Cheap Stuff, Downtown, History, Kids, Out of Manhattan, Sightsology, Tours
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