Washington Monument Damage Assessment Continuing
WASHINGTON (WJZ) -- A major tourist attraction in D.C. will remain closed.
Mary Bubala reports the National Park Service updated the public Monday about repairs to the Washington Monument after it was damaged in last month's earthquake.
It's a major disappointment for visitors to the nation's capital. More than a month after the East Coast earthquake, the Washington Monument is still closed.
The monument suffered several large cracks during the 5.8 magnitude quake and the elevator is still broken.
"Daylight is visible at a number of spots," said Bob Vogel, Superintendent of the National Mall. "It will require some immediate temporary renovation."
Ticket vendors and park rangers have been fielding plenty of questions from tourists. Meanwhile, an engineer team with experience in seismic issues and historical structures has been called in, along with a mountaineering and rope rigging ranger from Alaska. He will assist them in rappelling down the sides of the monument to conduct closer inspections.
"We're going to be as careful as we can and make sure the monument is safe before it reopens to the public. We want to get this right," Vogel said.
The engineers are expected to rappel down the sides of the monument sometime this week.
