Statue of Liberty reopens on 126th birthday Sunday

WAMC Northeast Public Radio | By Dave Lucas

Published October 25, 2012 at 7:39 PM EDT

The Statue of Liberty is set to reopen to the public on Sunday, the U.S. landmark's 126th anniversary. WAMC's Dave Lucas has details.

The statue has been closed for renovation to its interior, although the public has been allowed to visit its Liberty Island grounds in New York Harbor.

The $30 million renovation that began last year included replacing the stairs to the crown and making them less steep. There are now 393 steps, instead of 354.

For the first time, visitors using wheelchairs will be able to visit one of the observation decks at the top of the pedestal. National Parks Service spokeswoman Mindi Rambo said that is as high as it's possible to provide wheelchair access while preserving the historic structure.

The statue, a gift from France, was dedicated on Oct. 28, 1886.

New York News

Dave Lucas

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.

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