This March 5, 2019, photo taken with a drone shows "Vessel," a 150-foot-tall structure of climbable interlocking staircases, that is the center point of the $25 billion Hudson Yards Redevelopment in New York. The climbable structure opens to the public on Friday. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey)

NEW YORK | A colossal sculpture that will give people more than 150 interconnected stairways to climb is opening to the public as part of New York City’s Hudson Yards development.

Vessel is a metal structure shaped like the bowl of a wine glass that will open Friday as part of the first phase of the project on Manhattan’s west side.

Vessel was created by British designer Thomas Heatherwick. The latticed network of stairs and platforms rises 150 feet high and includes almost 2,500 steps.

The $25 billion Hudson Yards development is in progress and includes a hotel, a school, a retail mall, restaurants, public plazas and a skyscraper taller than the Empire State Building.

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