A hotline for 9/11 family members to begin reserving passes to the memorial at ground zero has opened for the first time.
Families can call the hotline, 212-266-5201, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, beginning Wednesday. On the first day of calls, the memorial received 500 requests for reservations, mostly for the first week it opens.
Reservations open to the public online at www.911memorial.org on July 11. Families can reserve online or through the hotline.
The memorial is on track to open Sept. 11, but only families and invited dignitaries will be allowed to visit on the 10th anniversary. Ticketed reservations begin the following day.
When it first opens, the memorial's hours will be 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekends and holidays.
Preliminary plans call for a limit of 1,500 visitors at a time, with a certain number of passes set aside each day for families.
9/11 Memorial President Joe Daniels said the organization was honored to help so many families on the first day the hotline opened.
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"Providing accommodations to 9/11 families is a top priority and we'll work to ensure their experience is respectful and sensitive to their needs," Daniels said.
