WASHINGTON – Mainers hoping to tour the nation’s Capitol may find themselves in smaller – but perhaps safer – groups.

With more stringent security measures put in place after Sept. 11 and then again after U.S. military airstrikes began this week, the number of tourists visiting the Capitol has declined dramatically.

“People shouldn’t be afraid [to visit] … and should know that they’re secure,” said Jim Forbes, a spokesman for the House Administration Committee. “They were secure before, but now they’re really, really secure.”

Across the board, Maine delegation members have noticed a significant reduction in the number of tour and ticket requests from constituents. U.S. Sen. Susan Collins said she attributes the decrease in visiting Mainers largely to the overall drop in air travel since the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11 and that autumn is not traditionally a busy visiting season anyway.

Though her office is still receiving visitor requests, Collins said the number is “lower than normal for this time of year.”

Rep. Tom Allen said his office has experienced a “dramatic falloff” in the number of visitors. Federal buildings, including the White House and the Federal Bureau of Investigation Building, have suspended public tours, leading to further visitor cancellations, he said.

New restrictions enacted by the U.S. Capitol Guide Service have limited tour groups to a maximum of 25, and visitors are no longer allowed to tour the Capitol building on their own. The time period for tours also has been shortened by one hour on weekdays – to between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. – and by three hours on Saturday – to between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. The Capitol is closed for tours on Sundays.

Under these restrictions only about 300 people a day get the chance to tour the Capitol. Though the Capitol Guide Service could not comment on the number of visitors before the new regulations, officials said the current number represents a significant reduction. Before the Sept. 11 attacks, the Capitol was typically packed with visitors who seemed at times to overwhelm its halls.

Constituents wanting to visit the House or Senate while Congress is in session can still obtain gallery passes from delegation members.

Capitol officials have taken additional steps to increase security for members and visitors alike. The House Administration Committee ordered the installation of a protective polyester film on all windows in the Capitol to help reinforce and make the windows shatterproof, Forbes said.

Immediately after the announcement of military airstrikes last Sunday, the Capitol Police also dispatched additional uniformed police to monitor the Capitol and its office buildings. The current level of security around the Capitol is “unprecedented” and will remain in effect “indefinitely,” said Lt. Dan Nichols, spokesman for the Capitol Police.

“The security was tightened after the September 11 attacks, but it has been tightened still further,” Collins said of the security around the Capitol since the airstrikes last Sunday.

House members have been advised to remove their member pins and to stop using their congressional license plates to avoid being targeted, Forbes said. But the House Administration Committee did not officially recommend the measures, he said.

Allen and Rep. John Baldacci said they haven’t heeded the precautionary measures; as neither typically wears his lapel pin away from Capitol Hill nor has special license plates. Allen said he doesn’t even have a car in Washington.

Some members have found that their IDs are now checked when they enter the Capitol area.

Collins said that though she is usually recognized when she enters the Capitol, she was asked for the first time to show her member identification card this week. She added that her car was thoroughly searched underneath for any explosives or abnormal devices.

“I’ve never before had to show an ID or have my car searched,” said Collins who is in her fifth year in the Senate.

Baldacci said he is certainly more than willing to allow time for his identification to be checked. “I appreciate it,” he said.

To a person, the Maine delegation members said they welcome the additional security measures. “I feel secure,” Collins said. “I’m not concerned for my personal safety.”

Despite increased measures, visitors should be made aware that the Capitol is “still very open and accessible,” said Nichols of the Capitol Police.