More than $30 million will have been spent on improvements by the end of the year, according to a joint announcement by the U.S. Interior Department, the National Park Service and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton said it would take about four months to complete the work and allow visitors inside the statue's pedestal, which houses a museum and observation deck, for the first time in nearly three years.

"After Sept. 11, we were compelled to take a hard, overall look at the security of the nation's icon of freedom," said Norton. "We had to reassess what it means to provide an appropriate level of safety and emergency services for our visitors, especially at a location that is an attractive terrorist target."