WASHINGTON — Tourists hitting town who are eager to go to the top of the Washington Monument will be disappointed that it’s closed for repairs, but officials say work is progressing.
“Work to both modernize the Washington Monument elevator and construct the permanent screening facility continues,” said National Park Service Spokesman Mike Litterst. “The design of both components of the project has been completed.”
Litterst said the contractor bidding process will begin soon. The announcement of the companies selected to do the work should come by the end of August, “allowing us to continue targeting a 2019 reopening,” he said.
When the work is complete, a screening area at the base of the monument will allow visitors to line up indoors before a security check. It will look like a big box made of bulletproof glass. And the elevator will have a new computer system and remote diagnostics, which will allow technicians to identify and fix problems sooner.
