The infrastructure bill signed into law by President Biden could possibly help repair the Denali Park Road in Denali National Park and Preserve/NPS file

National parks across the country have no shortage of infrastructure needs that could be tackled with funding from infrastructure legislation signed into law by President Biden.

According to the National Parks Conservation Association, there are numerous park and regional needs that could be met with some of the $1.7 billion the National Park Service expects to receive from the infrastructure package.

"Spread out over five years, the investments will improve roads and bridges, modernize transportation systems, support climate adaptations, and better protect wildlife and motorists, among other crucial projects," the advocacy group said. "The Park Service manages more than 12,600 miles of roads, over 1,440 bridges and 127 transit systems. Nearly 40 percent of park roads need repair, including Blue Ridge Parkway and roadways within Mojave National Preserve, deteriorating bridges at Great Smoky Mountains and flood-damaged roads at Harpers Ferry."

The funding package also includes;

• $350 million to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions and support enhanced connectivity to help animals adapt to the changing climate. Each year an estimated 1-2 million collisions with large species results in close to 30,000 human injuries and hundreds of fatalities. Beyond devastating, these accidents add up to $8 billion in costs to Americans.
• $1.4 billion so visitors can better access parks and other public lands, through the Federal Lands Access Program. Such transportation investments can also reduce emissions as well as congestion in some of our most visited parks.
• $3.2 billion for aquatic ecosystem restoration projects and ecosystem restoration programs in the Great Lakes, Chesapeake Bay and Delaware Basin to restore and better protect the waterways and surrounding communities from intensifying climate change threats.
• $355 million a year for large repair projects by federal land management agencies and Tribes. Park benefits could include reconstruction of the Grand Loop Road in Yellowstone and Tioga Pass in Yosemite National Park.
• $35 billion in wastewater, stormwater and drinking water infrastructure investments to help improve water quality across America, including within national park boundaries and park-adjacent communities.

Parks that could use funding include:

• Denali National Park and Preserve, where a bridge is needed to span a slide on the Pretty Rocks section (top photo) of the Denali Park Road. Additionally, there has been rapid deterioration of this critical corridor that begins at the park's entrance and runs west for 92 miles. The road, which needs $26 million in repairs, is the single access route to the heart of the park, bringing guests to two visitor centers and various campgrounds across the landscape.
• Much of the wilderness in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve is only accessible by airplane. More than $410,000 is needed to repair the park's airstrips, which quickly deteriorate to an unusable condition in the harsh Alaskan climate.
• Lake Mead National Recreation Area needs $6 million to repair the access road to Willow Beach, a well-used fishing spot below Hoover Dam. Another $6 million is needed to repair the roads leading to Katherine Landing, a popular boat launch with hiking trails and campgrounds.
• At Mojave National Preserve, nearly 155 miles of paved roads need $125 million for reconstruction. The Kelbaker Road that connects to many of the park’s most popular destinations, including Cinder Cones National Natural Landmark and Kelso Dunes, alone needs $53 million for reconstruction and resurfacing.
• Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks in California have nearly $90 million in deferred maintenance for their transportation systems. Generals Highway, the historic roadway connecting guests with the Grant Grove Village, General Sherman Tree, and Giant Forest Museum, needs $43.6 million for reconstruction and repaving.
• Over 70,000 visitors travel every year to Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument in Colorado to see one of the richest and most diverse fossil deposits in the world. As a result of overcrowding, $1.6 million is needed to expand visitor parking.
• Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve in Idaho has more than $6 million in backlogged repairs for road maintenance. This includes work on arterial thoroughfares, campground access roads, and Tree Molds Road--the route leading visitors to the park's volcanic tree mold impressions.
• Olympic National Park in Washington needs more than $100 million to address its transportation deferred maintenance backlog. Nearly a third of that is necessary to repave Highway 101, the park's main visitor access route.
• The Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railway in Ohio is a popular way visitors navigate Cuyahoga Valley National Park. This historic railroad allows hikers, bikers, and other passengers to access much of the park's rolling hills and open farmlands. $5 million is needed to repair the rail system.
• Pullman National Monument in Illinois is situated in a historic district on Chicago’s far south side. As a part of the effort to invest in the site and integrate the park within the historic neighborhood, the park needs $4.2 million to plan for and implement a circulator shuttle service. The service would allow for visitors of all mobility levels to explore the district and partner sites, such as the A. Philip Randolph Pullman Porter Museum. Additional bike and pedestrian pathways within the district will benefit both visitors and residents.
• The Marquette Greenway spans 4.6 miles of scenic wetlands and forest within Indiana Dunes National Park in Indiana. While the trail is accessible to pedestrians and bicycles, the park needs $3.2 million to relocate segments of the trail from flood zones, install additional rest areas, and resurface the trail to ensure access for people in wheelchairs. Trail segments within the park connect to a growing network of multi-use paths radiating into gateway communities and nearby transit stations.
• Voyageurs National Park in Minnesota needs $7 million to repair roads that lead guests to hiking trails and visitor centers.
• Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Tennesse is in the process of developing a new Visitor Use Management Plan that includes several transportation elements, including alternative transportation access. $1.6 million is needed to support this planning work and provide for future construction of the transportation projects, including bicycle access at Wears Valley and Metcalf Bottoms, and a potential expansion of the Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge greenway.
• Cape Hatteras National Seashore in North Carolina needs $600,000 to support stabilization efforts for State Highway 12, the primary access road for the park. While the local government will be responsible for funding the road maintenance, the park needs additional funds to monitor of the use of dredge materials for the roadway.
• The Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail in Alabama commemorates the journey of the 1965 Voting Rights Act marches. $400,000 is needed to resurface parking lots for the trail's three interpretive centers.
• Visitors of Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas intimately encounter the park's nearly $6 million of deferred road maintenance. Many of the park's roads--including West Mountain Drive and Hot Springs Mountain Drive--are in disrepair, requiring repairs to culverts, rock walls and asphalt overlays.
• Zion National Park in Utah needs $46 million to repair roads that bring guests to the park's most iconic features. This includes Floor of the Valley Road, which runs through Zion Canyon and is only accessed by shuttle or tour buses for nine months of the year. Consistent heavy use by these larger vehicles has caused almost $3 million in damage to the road.
• Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado is the highest continuous paved road in the United States. Spanning 48 miles and reaching 12,183 feet, the road takes visitors through picturesque alpine meadows. Unfortunately, 70 years of continued use has left Trail Ridge and its feeder roads with $11.5 million in necessary repairs.

While the National Park Service already is receiving more than a billion dollars a year through Great American Outdoors Act to address maintenance backlog projects in the parks, only 35 percent of that money can be applied to transportation projects, said Emily Douce, NPCA's director of budget and appropriations.

"The champions of the GAOA did that on purpose so that non-transportation and transportation funding were in parity. That changes a bit with some more money for NPS transportation now with the passage of the infrastructure bill," Douce said in an email. "The NPS has responsibility for managing their money under the Federal Lands Transportation Program, but they work in partnership with the Federal Highway Administration. The Federal Highway Administration is in charge of making sure the agencies follow the statutes and regulations."

Over at Defenders of Wildlife, Mary Beth Beetham, the organization's legislative director, said the act, while not "a perfect bill," "is an uplifting note in what needs to be a symphony of dedicated funding aimed at strengthening ecosystem resiliency in the face of climate change and the biodiversity crises going forward. We now call on Congress to swiftly pass the Build Back Better Act.” 

How the National Park Service will prioritize and fund projects with the infrastructure money remains to be seen.