The Washington Monument will be closed until the middle of September.
The National Park Service closed down the Washington Monument in mid-August after a various problems plagued its elevator.
The agency estimated that the monument would be closed for 10 days so crews could inspect the elevator. Now, it expects the monument will be closed through the middle of September.
"We're finding ourselves toward near the end of the life of this system,” said Gay Vietzke, superintendent of the National Mall.
She said elevator systems typically need to be modernized every 20 to 25 years. The NPS said the last time the elevator system in the Washington Monument was renovated was in the late 1990s.
"Probably the amount of wear and tear and use of this elevator has contributed to this lifetime being shorter than perhaps a traditional elevator,” Vietzke said.
She said after the NPS finishes its inspection period, it will kick-off a process to design a new elevator system.
She said when the NPS wraps up the subsequent bidding process for that work, it is likely the Washington Monument will be closed for 8 to 9 months of construction work.
No timetable has been set for that future closure.
DC Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton has been following the situation closely. She said she would prefer work begin on the elevator system after the current tourism season. However, she said it is still important construction happen sooner rather than later.
"This, I regard as an emergency situation,” she said.
The National Park Service said it could $2 to $3 million dollars to modernize the elevate system. However, Vietzke said those numbers are in their early stages.
The NPS is still investigating the exact cause of the elevator’s current problems.
