An Illinois company should begin work April 11 to bring a set of elevators back into service at Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico for visitors to use to access the cave.

Out of commission are both the elevators that normally take visitors down into the cave and back up to the surface, as well as the freight elevators that are viewed as a backup to the passenger elevators. The passenger elevators, which had had their motors overhauled in 2007 and at the time were thought to be good for another 20 years, were shut down in mid-November after one of the two motors broke down, a National Park Service officials said earlier this month. Using just one of the elevators wasn't considered wise, he said, as there would be no backup in case it failed, too.

The freight elevators were shut down a year ago after an inspection found structural issues with their steel supports. As a result, the cave has been without elevator service since mid-November, forcing visitors who wanted to see the room that Will Rogers once compared to the "Grand Canyon with a roof" to hoof it in and out.

Now park officials have issued a $235,965 contract to Supplied Industrial Solutions of Granite City, Illinois, for elevator repairs. The repair work is expected to begin April 11 and take approximately five weeks, with elevator service restored by May 31.

The contract outlines specific work to be done on the secondary elevators, to include: Lead paint abatement and coatings; installation of 12 structural steel beams and six angle beams, followed by safety inspections.

No mention was made of when the passenger elevators will be fixed.