Jun 11, 2018
National Parks getting $256 million in funding to improve infastructure

U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke has announced more than $256 million in approved funding to rebuild critical national park infrastructure. The list includes projects like the repair of the Arlington Memorial Bridge in D.C., the visitor access upgrade at Herring Cove Beach at the Cape Cod National Seashore, and the rehabilitation of the Elkmont Waste Water System at Great Smoky Mountains National Park — dire maintenance and repair needs that contribute to the $11.6 billion backlog currently facing the nation’s national parks.

Roads, bridges, trails, water systems and visitor centers—even bathrooms, campgrounds and drinking fountains — are all part of this critical, but often unnoticed, infrastructure framework. In 2017, 330 million people visited the 417 NPS sites across the country. The NPS completed over $650 million in maintenance and repair work in Fiscal Year 2017, but aging facilities, high visitation, and resource constraints have kept the maintenance backlog between $11 billion and $12 billion since 2010.

“The President is a builder, he loves to build and he loves our National Parks, so it is a natural fit that the Administration is dedicating so much attention to rebuilding our aging parks infrastructure. These approved projects are more than just line items on an Excel spreadsheet. They have a tangible effect on a person’s experience when visiting our nation’s parks,” said Secretary Zinke. “Today’s announcement is another step toward eliminating the more than $11 billion in maintenance facing the National Park Service. It’s another step toward prioritizing infrastructure because it is an investment that bolsters local economies and gateway communities. And it is another step in prioritizing access for all Americans to our public lands.”

Secretary Zinke has made tackling Interior’s deferred maintenance backlog one of his top priorities. In April, he signed an memorandum of understanding committing Interior to follow President Trump’s One Federal Decision framework for processing of environmental reviews and permits for major infrastructure projects. In March, Interior announced the Secretary’s partnership with Congress on a bipartisan bill to address rebuild and repair National Park Service infrastructure.

Approved Fiscal Year 2018 National Park Service construction projects:

Unit

Project Title

State

Total

George Washington Memorial Parkway

Repair Arlington Memorial Bridge.

DC

$18,200,000

National Mall and Memorial Parks

Restore Jefferson Roof and Portico.

DC

$21,371,000

Lowell National Historical Park

Replace Unsafe and Inefficient Windows of Boott Mill Museum.

MA

$4,177,000

Cape Cod National Seashore

Upgrade Visitor Access at Herring Cove Beach.

MA

$5,442,000

Yellowstone National Park

Rehab and Seismic Retrofit of Mammoth Hotel Guest Room Wings.

WY

$21,264,000

Fort Point National Historic Site

Repair Leaks in North Barbette Tier and Repoint Brick Masonry at Fort Point.

CA

$5,996,000

Channel Islands National Park

Replace Anacapa Stiff-Leg Derrick Crane with Two-Crane System.

CA

$3,922,000

Mount Rushmore National Memorial

Replace Plaza Paver System and Rehabilitate Visitor Center.

SD

$8,937,000

Vicksburg National Military Park

Stabilize Railroad Redoubt Earthworks.

MS

$5,909,000

Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve

Construct Electrical Intertie to Falls Creek Hydro Project – Renewable Energy & Sustainability.

AK

$7,545,000

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Rehabilitate Elkmont Waste Water System.

TN

$2,594,000

Valley Forge National Historical Park

Rehabilitate Visitor Center for Access, Safety, and Energy Efficiency.

PA

$10,030,000

Old Santa Fe Trail Building

Rehab Building for Seismic, Rehab Exterior Envelope and Historic Elements.

NM

$2,822,000

Lake Mead National Recreation Area

Replace Water Intake Barge with Shoreline Wells at Katherine Landing to Ensure Reliable Water Supply.

AZ

$1,976,000

Death Valley National Park

Restore Flood-Damaged Historic Scotty’s Castle Visitor Center.

CA

$5,394,000

Carlsbad Caverns National Park

Replace Old/Failing Primary Electrical Distribution Infrastructure.

NM

$3,432,000

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

North Shore Road Monetary Settlement.

NC

$35,200,000

Mammoth Cave National Park

Reconstruct Unsafe Cave Trail Along Grand Avenue Tour Between Snowball and Grand Central.

KY

$13,894,000

Statue Of Liberty National Monument

Stabilize Ellis Island Seawall – Phase III.

NY

$33,021,000

National Capital Regional Office

Rehabilitate National Mall and Memorial Parks, US Park Police, and Regional Office Campus.

DC

$11,807,000

Yosemite National Park

Rehabilitate Wawona Wastewater Treatment Plant.

CA

$21,578,000

Glacier National Park

Rebuild/Reconstruct Sperry Chalet.

MT

$12,000,000




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