Metro maintenance crews are rushing to repair the 105 escalators and elevators damaged by this week’s torrential rains before the arrival of an expected onslaught of visitors during the holiday weekend, officials said.
David LaCosse, director of elevator and escalator maintenance, said that if there was one truth in his job, it’s that “water and electricity simply don’t mix.”
Crews working around the clock have been able to repair motors and replace switches and fuses on 46 units this week. They expect about 20 of the system’s 851 units — 588 escalators and 263 elevators — will still be down because of water damage by Monday, LaCosse said.
A dozen escalators and five elevators were already down for major overhauls before the storms hit, officials said.
Metro has been installing “kite-like” canopies over dozens of escalators at stations more susceptible to the elements, but LaCosse said they did little to stop water damage.
“The water we had wasn’t coming from the sky,” LaCosse said. “It was rolling like rivers down the street, across sidewalks and curbs and straight down the escalators like a waterfall. It was unbelievable.”
“We feel we have the situation mainly under control,” he said.
