The stairs did, in fact, have a great deal of renovation work done to them. Just over a decade ago, almost a million dollars was spent overhauling the metal structure and making the ascent to the summit safe.
Yet people are not allowed to climb the stairs as their health and safety cannot be assured. There are a number of owners and one of them is asking for a $1 million insurance policy in order to allow people to ascend. Although this has meant that the stairs remain off limits there are a number of ways to access them and people still persist in attempting the hike to the top. Legal issues aside, you can see why they want to do it.