12.30 pm
NEW YORK - Thousands of people lined the streets of lower Manhattan today, waiting to get a closer perspective on the aftermath of the September 11 terror attacks that brought down New York's World Trade Center towers.
The first of four planned public viewing platforms opened this morning.
For three months, people who have traveled to Ground Zero to see the wreckage have been kept blocks away by fences, gates, national guard and police patrols.
With people waiting in lines covering at least four city blocks, the mood was subdued as the well-behaved crowd followed the cues given by police.
New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani announced the opening of the new viewing areas in a ceremony. He said the platforms are being built to give the public a safe and secure location to view the devastation without impeding recovery efforts and while preserving the sanctity of the site.
"This is hallowed ground, sacred ground," said Giuliani. "We decided to put up these platforms because there's been so much of an interest in seeing this site."
The outgoing mayor, who will be succeeded on New Years Day by mayor-elect Michael Bloomberg, spoke solemnly of the sense of history felt by those witnessing Ground Zero close up.
"Standing here conveys a lot of America - a lot of America's past, a lot of America's present and also a lot of America's future, which is supported by the heroism and bravery of the men and women who gave their lives here."
The other three platforms will be completed in due course.
Story archives:
Links: Terror in America - the Sept 11 attacks
Timeline: Major events since the Sept 11 attacks
World Trade Center viewing platform opens
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