Statue Of Liberty Lights To Dim This Week

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The lighting system that illuminates the exterior of the Statue of Liberty National Monument will be turned off nightly from Monday through Thursday as part of planned work on the island between New York and New Jersey.

The lights on the statue's torch, crown, and pedestal colonnade will remain illuminated, drawing power from a small emergency back-up generator located within the monument.

According to the National Park Service, the exterior lighting outages are necessary to work on Liberty Island's electrical system and to accommodate the construction of the new Liberty Museum and a new permanent security screening facility at the monument's entrance, both of which are scheduled to open in 2019.

The work is being conducted at night to avoid electrical outages during the day that would impact visitors and disrupt daily operations. The Statue of Liberty National Monument received over 4.5 million visitors last year.