EVERETT — Elevator repair crews have re-opened the city owned elevator at The Grand Avenue Park Bridge after it was damaged by vandals igniting fireworks three months ago on the 4th of July. The elevator is a key conduit for reaching the Everett waterfront and the city’s Northwest neighborhood above the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad tracks without relying on a car and its now open again for public use.
An Everett city spokesperson advises that additional repairs will be needed in the future to completely fix what was damaged by the fireworks detonation, but no date has been given for those subsequent repairs at this time.
Elevator repairs in 2026 often face long delays due to a shortage of skilled technicians and critical supply-chain bottlenecks for replacement parts. The elevator industry faces a shrinking workforce of experienced, licensed mechanics, creating a backlog for maintenance and emergency service calls.
Roughly one million elevators across the U.S. include aging or obsolete components. Manufacturers often stop making specific parts, forcing custom fabrication or long shipping waits. Four major manufacturers (Otis, Kone, Schindler, and TK Elevator) control nearly 70% of the market in the Americas, frequently utilizing proprietary parts and service contracts that restrict independent repair options.
Residents at a downtown Everett Apartment building at 27th and Hoyt Ave. suffered an elevator outage that lasted more than 100 days earlier this year, preventing some disabled residents from leaving the building unless they were carried down four flights of stairs.
Snohomish County officials also endured an elevator outage at the administration building in downtown Everett before it was repaired.