Anyone wanting to visit San Francisco's Alcatraz Island for Halloween or in the upcoming months: there's some bad news, it'll be closed.
The Golden Gate National Recreation Area announced that it will temporarily close the island to visitors and tours for nearly a month, from Oct. 26 to Nov. 18, to complete repairs and "replace pilings that secure the ferry dock to the island."
Crews will be continuing repairs to Alcatraz Island pilings supporting the ferry dock, which were discovered in January after one piling failed. In April, the crew closed the island again to strengthen three serviceable pilings, further stabilize the dock, and develop a plan to address the overall system.
To complete this restoration project, crews will need to fully replace
two of the remaining pilings, which will require "a complex operation" and a limited window to be completed, according to the news release.
The SF Bay Conservation and Development Commission regulates pile driving in the San Francisco Bay, which restricts in-water work after November 30.
"Completing the repair work this fall will help ensure safe and reliable public access to Alcatraz Island for years to come," read the press release.
For residents concerned about whether taxpayer money is funding this project, Alcatraz City Cruises, the National Park Service concessioner that provides ferry service to the island, confirmed it is funding and conducting the repair work.
Alcatraz City Cruises makes more than 3,200 ferry trips carrying 1.5 million visitors to Alcatraz Island annually.
The National Park Service and Alcatraz City Cruises announced that all scheduled tours affected by the closure will be refunded to guests; to reschedule, contact Alcatraz City Cruises for more information.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: San Francisco's Alcatraz Island will be temporarily closed again
