Public Viewing Platforms Open at Trade Center Site

Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani on Saturday announced the opening of public viewing platforms around the wreckage of the World Trade Center in downtown Manhattan, citing a need for the public to see the site.

“There is an undeniable need to witness in person the site of the most horrible attack on our nation in history,” Giuliani said during a news conference in the city’s financial district. “These platforms will provide a vantage point to do that while fully respecting the solemnity of this place.”

The four raised platforms, which are scheduled to open this morning, will allow the public to get a closer look at the cleanup site, where about 3,000 people were killed in the Sept. 11 attacks after two hijacked airliners slammed into the twin towers and caused them to collapse.

Giuliani’s move, made only days before he is to leave office, received mixed reactions from people concerned that the wreckage site would become a tourist attraction.

“It’s not the most tasteful idea,” said Mike Brady, 32, of Manhattan. “But then again, I can see why it would be important for some people to see this for themselves.”