Statue of Liberty National Museum

Restorations to Superstorm Sandy-racked Liberty Island are scheduled to be mostly completed in time for the statue's July 4 reopening.

The huddles masses of New York tourists yearning to breathe free can take a sigh of relief the Statue of Liberty reopens on Independence Day.

The tempest-tossed icon had been closed since Hurricane Sandy clobbered Liberty Island on Oct. 29.

On July 4, when I am once again greeted by my amazing staff, and those first visitors step off the ferry onto Liberty Island, any residual pain will disappear, said National Park Service Superintendent David Luchsinger, reflecting on the myriad challenges he faced in getting the historic destination reopened.

Docks, buildings, walkways and security screening facilities were destroyed by the storm. The islands infrastructure electrical, heating and sewage was wrecked.

The ongoing repairs cost $59 million.

Remarkably, Lady Liberty as strong as the day she was dedicated, Oct. 28, 1886 emerged unscathed.

And now shell be surrounded by a new perimeter walkway, repaired or replaced railings and filled-in seawalls. New docks are also in the process of being replaced.

Security screenings at Battery Park of visitors boarding the ferry bound for the island will now go much faster, Luchsinger said. The issue of ferry security was resolved last month following a protracted dispute between the NYPD and the National Park Service.

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Lady Liberty to reopen July 4