Repairs to the Washington Monument, one of the main landmarks of the U.S. capital, may keep it closed to the public for another 18 months, a spokesperson for the U.S. National Park Service said.
The monument has been closed to the public since August 2011 after it was damaged by a strong earthquake. An assessment by engineers last year determined that the 555-feet (169-meter) structure suffered the most damage between 475 feet (145 meters) and 530 feet (161 meters).
“It is difficult to get to, and it is difficult to repair,” Carol Johnson told reporters on Monday.
The repair works will most likely require massive scaffolding to be built around the monument from bottom to top. The cost of the project is estimated at $15 million, and the repairs may start as early as in September.
Half of the cost will be covered by the government funds and another half by a donation from Washington businessman David Rubenstein.
On August 23, 2011, a record 5.8-magnitude earthquake with an epicenter in Virginia shook the marble and granite structure, built between 1848 and 1884, causing deep cracks to form near the top and loosening some pieces of stone and mortar.
Visitors, who were inside the monument at the time of the quake, were not seriously injured.
The Virginia earthquake damaged several other buildings, including the Washington National Cathedral, which could be under repairs for a decade. The cathedral remains open for services and events, though.
