Carlsbad, NM – Scheduled elevator safety maintenance at Carlsbad Caverns National Park will require the secondary elevator system be taken out of service to replace steel hoist cables. For 10 days, there will be no elevator service at Carlsbad Caverns National Park. While elevator service is temporarily suspended, visitors may still access the Cavern by hiking in and out of the Natural Entrance on a self-guided tour. Due to the steep grade, the Natural Entrance is not accessible by wheelchair or walker. In addition to the self-guided route, ranger-guided tours are also offered. Reservations for guided tours can be made at www.recreation.gov.
Both secondary elevator cars have eight cables, each cable is ½” thick, 400 lbs. and 800 feet long. These cables are used to raise and lower the elevator cars in and out of the cavern. This preventative safety maintenance is usually done every five to seven years, but is being done sooner because the amount of trips on the secondary elevators has doubled since the primary elevators went out of service due to a mechanical failure in the motor in November 2015. A complex multi-million dollar total modernization project is currently in the design phase and the primary elevators are expected to be back in service in 2018.
KONE USA of Albuquerque, NM, has been awarded the contract to complete the cable replacement and will involve elevator experts with high-rise building experience from Portland, OR to oversee the work.
The cable replacement on each car will require at least five days of work. Due to safety concerns, the park is not able to provide elevator service if there is no way to access cars in the hoist way if a rescue is necessary due to an operational failure of the elevators. For visitor planning purposes the elevator availability schedule is as follows:
February 6 -10…..No elevator service
February 11 and 12 …..Elevators in service
February 13-17….No elevator service
February 18….Elevators back in service
“The safety of our visitors and staff is always our number one priority. Completing this maintenance as soon as possible will ensure the safe operation of our secondary elevators as we work to bring the primary elevators back into service,” said Carlsbad Caverns National Park Superintendent Doug Neighbor. “We certainly appreciate the support of visitors and the local community as we work to provide a quality experience to the almost half-million visitors who come to the park every year.”
If the work is completed sooner than expected, the elevators will be returned to service after all required safety testing is completed.
For more information on the status of the elevators, park regulations, visitation or park tours, call 575-785-2232 or visit www.nps.gov/cave. The park’s visitor center is open 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.