TRIBECA TRIB

The 10th anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001 will be accompanied by the most restrictive access to Lower Manhattan streets since the dark days that followed the attacks.

According to a letter from the mayor’s office released Tuesday, access to Battery Park City and Lower Manhattan south of Warren Street will be severely limited this weekend, beginning at 8 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 10 and ending at 8 p.m. Sunday night. Access in and out of the area, whether by foot, vehicle or mass transit will be restricted, according to the letter. Both the Vesey Street and Liberty Street bridges will be closed most of Sunday, Sept. 11 and all West Street crossings south of Warren Street and north of Rector Street will be prohibited.

Pedestrians and workers may be required to show identification and traffic and parking will be prohibited on most streets within a wide swath of the World Trade Center site, where President Barack Obama and former Presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton are expected to attend ceremonies on Sunday.

Pre-approved events, such as the planned reunion of former Stuveysant High School students, the human chain “Hand in Hand” and sunrise ceremonies are expected to be allowed.

The letter, circulated at a Tuesday evening meeting of Community Board 1’s Battery Park City Committee, was sent to the Battery Park City Authority from the mayor’s Community Assistance Office. Residents in Battery Park City had already received warnings that parking would be restricted during the weekend, but the new notice came as a surprise to many on the committee.

“I personally think they waited this long to inform us so we couldn’t do anything about it,” said the committee’s chair, Linda Belfer.

“This is beyond the jurisdiction of anyone sitting in this room,” said Leticia Remauro, the Authority’s vice president for community relations.

Battery Park City resident Tammy Meltzer called the plan “unconscionable,” adding that officials are viewing the area around the World Trade Center site as “a commercial memorial area only.”

“No consideration is given to the surrounding businesses or the residents,” Meltzer said.

Board member Jeff Mihok differed. “It’s great living down here 363 days of the year,” he said. “There are the other couple of days of the year where it’s a little police state-ish.”