Memorial Repairs to Cost Millions

Officials expressed concern Tuesday about cracks and wear and tear on the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials and said an architectural survey has found that it would cost more than $12 million to repair them, about twice what the memorials cost originally.

National Park Service officials said they plan to go through with the repair work after further studies but saw little danger to the 2.5 million tourists who visit the monuments annually.

The memorial honoring Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President, cost about $3 million when it was built 68 years ago. The memorial to Thomas Jefferson, the third President, cost about $3.2 million when completed in 1943.

One of the most serious problems with the Lincoln Memorial is with the stability of a walkway that sits over a huge basement that was excavated when the monument was constructed. Tourists could fall more than 15 feet if concrete slabs under the cobblestone walkway broke apart, but Park Service officials do not consider this to be an imminent danger.

With the newer Jefferson Memorial, engineers have found various cracks attributed to settling of the building.