Washington Monument Repairs Could Last Into Winter

The reopening of the Washington Monument remains undetermined.

The iconic stone obelisk was damaged by the earthquake that hit our region Aug. 23. The quake cracked four stones near the top of the 555-foot monument. Days later, Hurricane Irene lashed the monument with strong winds and heavy rain. More cracks became apparent, and there was some interior flooding.

The engineers coordinating the repair completed their assessment and are putting together a report, WTOP News reported Friday.

"We're now planning what the next stage will be," National Park Service spokesperson Carol Johnson told

WTOP

. "As of now we do not have a reopening date."

 

One of the next steps will be to winterize the monument, Johnson said.

"There's concern if it sits over the winter there'd be sheets of ice, which would cause more damage to the stones," Johnson told WTOP.

The National Park Service and the engineers will update the public on the monument’s status Monday.