WASHINGTON — The Washington Monument will be closed until at least Wednesday while it undergoes maintenance on its beleaguered elevator.
The monument, which closed Saturday, will be closed at least one day longer than earlier projections, said National Park Service spokesman Mike Litterst on Monday. A faulty bearing caused problems with the elevator Saturday morning before the monument opened.
Parts needed for the repair of the monument elevator will be delivered and installed Tuesday, Litterst said in a statement. Part of the hoist system must be replaced.
The park service says no visitors were in the monument at the time Saturday and no staff members were affected.
Elevator problems have closed the monument several times over the past year.
Earlier this year, the elevator forced two closures in a week, and in May 2015, an elevator power failure cause a multiday closure. In June 2015, the monument closed to allow for repairs to a mechanical alignment issue with the elevator. The park service says the elevator problem was caused by the repeated elevator shut downs in May.
Also, in August 2015, an elevator malfunction forced 63 people — two of whom were pregnant — to walk the 500 feet down to the bottom after being stranded at the top.
In February 2016, the monument was closed for several days after the elevator control box was inadvertently damage by a contractor working in the structure on an unrelated issue.
