New London — Residents of the Mohican Senior Apartments were unable to use the building’s elevators to access their apartments again on Monday and Tuesday.

The main elevator has been broken at least two other times in the last two weeks, according to Ronald Gaska, president of the Mohican Tenants Association.

"Nobody knows what's going on," he said. "The management needs to communicate better with the residents."

Tom Evan, district manager for Related Management, the company that owns the 146-unit building on State Street, said one of the two elevators has been out of service for several weeks as part of a major modernization project.

Work on that elevator is expected to be completed at the end of this month, he said. Once it is back in service, the other elevator will be taken offline for modernization.

The elevator that stopped working on Monday afternoon was repaired by about 10 a.m. Tuesday, Evan said. The company paid to house two residents overnight at a local hotel because they could not get to their apartments Monday night, he said.

After working for a few hours Tuesday, the elevator stopped again around lunchtime, he said.

Emergency responders have been notified each time the elevator has gone out of service, he said. No one has been trapped in the elevators at any time, he said.

“For any resident who’s stranded in the lobby, we provide food and access to restrooms,” he said. “Our staff is working with anyone stuck in their apartments who have special needs.”

Visiting nurses and others who need access to the apartments to provide medical care and other services are using the stairways, he said.

Gaska said some residents had to cancel appointments for cancer treatment and other medical care because they were unable to leave their apartments. He said he has informed the mayor's office about the situation.

"We have people in wheelchairs who can't get out," he said. "I'm concerned for my residents here."

One resident who needed to go to the hospital had to be carried out by ambulance crews down three flights of stairs, he said.

In addition to modernizing the elevators, the ongoing work to the 11-story, 125-year-old high-rise includes repairs to the roof of the building and pointing of the brickwork on the exterior.

j.benson@theday.com

Twitter: @BensonJudy