WASHINGTON (AP) — The National Park Service says the Washington Monument will be closed indefinitely because of ongoing problems with its elevator.
The park service said in a statement Monday that the monument will remain closed until its elevator control system can be modernized.
The lone elevator that takes visitors to the top of the 555-foot obelisk has broken down frequently over the past two years, roughly since the monument reopened after being damaged in an earthquake.
Park service officials have said they don’t believe that 2011 earthquake caused the elevator problems. But they don’t exactly know what’s wrong with it. Despite a month-long inspection, the park service says, “we have not been able to determine the causes of the ongoing reliability issues.”
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