A memorial remembering the 1941 Pearl Harbor attack in Hawaii reopened Sunday after 15 months of repairs, the National Park Service announced.
The USS Arizona Memorial closed May 2018. The $2.1 million project improved the dock’s anchoring system and addressed critical infrastructure need, the park service said.
{mosads}Among the renovations were a replacement of two cracked floor panels and damaged bridge support.
“It is a great honor to share the stories of the men of the USS Arizona, and all of those who served, suffered and sacrificed on Oahu on December 7, 1941. That is the cornerstone of our mission here, and restoration of public access to this iconic place is critical as we continue to tell their stories and honor their memory,” Pearl Harbor National Memorial acting superintendent Steve Mietz said in a statement.
Thousands of visitors came out the first day of the memorial’s reopening, Hawaii News Now reports.
Visitor traffic to the park had decreased by about 30 percent since the USS Arizona memorial shut, the outlet reports.
Rep. Ed Case (D) told Hawaii Now he’s happy the repairs are finally done. He had worked with Hawaii’s congressional leaders to speed up the project.
“I think we’re all frustrated with the amount of time it took to complete these repairs,” he said.
“Having listened more closely to the technical challenges, I understand they needed the time to do this right and I think they did do it right.”