The USS Arizona Memorial will reopen to visitors this Sunday after over a year undergoing repairs. The National Park Service, which oversees the site, announced Wednesday that contractors completed the final phase of construction this week.
Park officials suspended visitor access to the memorial last year after discovering a problem with the dock’s anchoring system.
The memorial was closed to visitors in May 2018 after officials found minor damage to the exterior of the structure. Although those were repaired, the damage was traced to a malfunction in the dock's anchoring system that allowed too much lateral movement of the floating concrete structure.
The reopening date was reset several times. The park service said the project was complicated, involving environmental compliance and unexploded ordnance screening in addition to contracting, design and project execution.
Some $2.1 million dollars was spent to improve the dock anchoring system and address infrastructure needs at the park.
While the memorial remained closed, visitors could visit the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center and take in other visitor sites and programs, including a harbor tour of Battleship Row.
More than 1,300 people visited the memorial daily before operations were suspended.
