New York (CNN) -- For the first time since the terror attack on the World Trade Center, the general public is being allowed back onto the site.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, members of the city council and some 9/11 victims' family members welcomed the first visitors to the 9/11 memorial plaza that opened on schedule Monday.

"The opening fulfills a promise we made to the families on the 10-year anniversary and keep it open for them and the rest of the world forever to reflect on what happened and to honor the 9/11 victims and heroes," said Bloomberg, who is also the 9/11 Memorial chairman.

Families of victims were able to visit the memorial Sunday during ceremonies honoring those who were killed in the September 11, 2001, attacks that brought down the twin towers.

"We're so proud of this memorial," said Monica Iken, who lost her husband, Michael, in the attacks and was able to visit the memorial, along with other victims' families Sunday. "I can go see Michael. He's home."
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Monday's visitors passed through metal detectors and surveillance cameras as they began making their way to the the two huge, square fountains that mark the footprints of the World Trade Center towers.

The fountains' water flows into granite reflecting pools at the center of the eight-acre, tree-lined plaza. Bronze plates surround the fountains and bear the names of the nearly 3,000 people killed in the 2001 attacks, as well as the six who were killed when a terrorist truck bomb exploded in the parking garage beneath the towers in 1993.

Some of the visitors were visibly emotional as they walked into the plaza Monday. Some rubbed their fingers across the etched names of those who died. One man took out a paper and stenciled over a name and carefully rolled up the paper to take with him.

The names forming the perimeter where the North Tower stood are those who died in the building and the passengers on American Airlines Flight 11, which was crashed into it, as well as the six dead from the 1993 bombing.

The South Tower site includes the names of dead who were in that building and United Flight 175, as well as the names of the first responders who were killed, the dead from the crash of American Airlines Flight 77 into the Pentagon, and the dead of United Flight 93, which crashed in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.