Washington Monument to stay closed 'indefinitely' over elevator woes

Sep 27, 2016, 00:57

Park service officials have said they don't believe the 2011 natural disaster caused the elevator problems.

The Washington Monument will remain closed indefinitely until repairs are made to its elevators, which have been breaking down periodically, the National Park Service announced on Monday.

"As a result, we have made the hard decision not to reopen the Washington Monument until we can modernize the elevator control system", the announcement said.

"The scope of work to be accomplished while the monument is closed and the duration of the closure are still being determined; we expect to have an announcement with those additional details in the next couple weeks". One of the biggest issues is that the elevator is 15-years-old and has mechanical and electrical systems that are almost worn out, officials have said.

The elevator has broken 24 times since the monument was reopened in May 2014 after a three-year closure to fix natural disaster damage.

The monument has been closed repeatedly over the past few months.

Litterst said that the timeline is still unknown until engineers can figure out what exactly is plaguing the lift.

The 555-foot (169-meter) monument, erected in honor of President George Washington in the 19th century, was scheduled to have opened in mid-September after its most recent closure began on August 17. While no tourists were on the elevator, 84 people had to walk down the monument steps. The obelisk was damaged during a 2011 natural disaster and was closed for three years while it underwent repairs.

The soon-to-be opened Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture and the Washington Monument are seen September 1, 2016 in Washington, DC.