DENVER (KDVR) — One of the most decorated Olympians in Colorado history says new downtown elevator hours are making her life difficult.
Amy Van Dyken, who won six gold medals in swimming, said the elevator at the 18th Street pedestrian bridge no longer runs 24 hours a day. The elevator hours were recently scaled back to 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
“Unfortunately, it’s been anything, but easy,” said Van Dyken, who has used a wheelchair since she was paralyzed in an ATV crash in 2014.
Van Dyken said the closure is a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
“The problem is this is against an ADA law — it’s Title II of the ADA law — as well as discrimination against the ADA community,” she said.
A spokesperson for the Central Platte Valley Metropolitan District, which operates the elevator, told FOX31 that heavy drug use and nasty conditions necessitated the move.
After hearing of Van Dyken’s plight, though, the district extended the hours until 10 p.m.
Van Dyken feels that’s still not enough and vows to, perhaps, retain an attorney.
“I’m not a werewolf and I don’t need to have a curfew,” she said. “What if I have an early flight?”