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Italian Engineers Complete Washington Monument Renovations
Washington, DC | After $10.5 million in renovations, the Washington Monument reopened to the public on February 22, coinciding with the 270th anniversary of George Washington's birthday.
Now the 555-ft. obelisk not only has fresh mortar, smooth stones and better exterior lighting, but also leans a striking 5.55 degrees to the north.
Work was done by the same team that repaired the Torre Pendente di Pisa (Leaning Tower of Pisa) last year.
Engineer John Burland, who oversaw the crews of both sites, said the project came in well below the cost of the Italian total of $30 million because they had learned a great deal from past experience.
The Pisa stabilization took almost 12 years, while the Monument project took just over eight months to finish.
Prof. Burland explained, "We used essentially the same soil-extraction techniques perfected in Italy, so things went much more smoothly. Plus we didn't have to deal with the political haggling that so often brought work to a standstill in Pisa."
From his ranch in Crawford, TX, President Bush said he is pleased with the National Park Service, which had to find a way to complete work on the structure after severe budget cuts.
"This is just another example of American ingenuity," Bush said. "It proves we can have both tax cuts and deep deficits, while still maintaining quality government programs. And we're going to prove it again with Environmental Protection and National Missile Defense."
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