The newly repaired Washington Monument's elevator is having its own problems. After another breakdown, it's getting a lot of attention from local lawmakers.
Monday night a computer indicated the elevator needed service or repair, a National Park Service spokesman said. The work Tuesday morning took longer than expected, delaying the 9 a.m. opening.
"We had to wait approximately an hour,” said Patrick Branbtner, a tourist from Austria. “We had booked for 9 and we had to wait approximately to 10 to make the tour."
After the earthquake in the summer of 2011, the elevator was the first thing that needed repair. Its cable was stretched and rails were bent.
Replacing portions of the monument's facade kept it closed until May 12. Two days later, the elevator doors malfunctioned on the ground floor with 18 people inside.
News4 has been told by a source familiar with monument operations that the elevator malfunctioned on the Saturday and Sunday before the monument was opened to the public.
Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton said it’s a warning a new elevator is needed.
