Washington - The Statue of Liberty's crown, closed to the public since the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Centre, will reopen on July 4, US Independence Day, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said on Friday.
"On the Fourth of July we will open up the crown of the Statue of Liberty here in New York and New Jersey to the entire people of America in a way that we'll be able to manage the crowds that come into this place," Salazar said, speaking from the inside of the crown on NBC's "Today" program.
A symbol of freedom and democracy and a prominent draw for tourists, the statue was one of the first sights seen by millions of immigrants who arrived in New York harbor in the 19th and 20th centuries.
The statue was closed to the public after the September 11, 2001 attacks because of safety concerns. The museum gallery and observation deck at the landmark's base were reopened to the public in 2004, but access beyond that point remained prohibited.
The National Park Service closed the crown because access to the top of the statue, which depicts a robed woman holding a torch, is limited to a narrow stairwell with a handrail on one side. In the event of an emergency there is no quick exit.
Not all will have access, Salazar said. A lottery will choose who will go to the crown.
While the number of visitors to Lady Liberty, a gift from France in 1886, has fallen in the past eight years, numbers are rising again.
About 3.2 million people visited the statue in 2007, up from 2.5 million in 2006 but below the 3.6 million in 2000, the park service said. - Reuters