Statue of Liberty opens to tourists for first time since Hurricane Sandy

The Statue of Liberty was opened to the public on Thursday, July 4, National Independence Day. The monument was opened after nearly nine months of restoration work due to the destruction caused by Hurricane Sandy.

Neither the statue itself, nor the pedestal on which it is located, were not affected by the elements, but the piers and the walking path framing the island were blurred by water flows.

The day before Sandy hit New York City on October 29, the Statue of Liberty was due to be reopened after a $30 million annual renovation.
The appearance of the statue has not changed, however, during the reconstruction, modern systems of review and security, elevators and paths for wheelchairs were installed. The old stairs were replaced by new ones, the lighting system of the monument became modern.

The Statue of Liberty, along with the Eiffel Tower in Paris and Big Ben in London, top the ranking of the most visited tourist attractions in the world, based on the results of an online reader survey conducted by Travel+Leisure magazine for travelers. About 3.5 million people visit Liberty Island each year.