The National Park Service (NPS) this week released its Fiscal Year 2015 deferred maintenance statistics for national parks.
The $11.9 billion nationwide total was up from the $11.49 billion reported at the end of FY2014. Shenandoah National Park also has a backlog of deferred maintenance projects which totals $ 90,205,607.
Deferred maintenance is necessary work on infrastructure such as roads and bridges, visitor centers, trails, and campgrounds that has been put off for more than a year. Aging facilities, increasing use of park facilities and insufficient maintenance funding contribute to the growing backlog. Our list of deferred maintenance projects is about 50 percent transportation and 50 percent non-transportation assets.
Congressional funding for the National Park Service in 2016 includes an additional $90 million for non-transportation maintenance. Congress also passed a new highway bill which will provide a $28 million increase for transportation projects in parks this year. Funding for transportation-related maintenance and construction will continue to rise, by $8 million per year for five years, until it reaches $300 million per year in 2020.
“The funds Congress provided for 2016 will help us as we move toward the goal of restoring our highest priority non-transportation assets to good condition,” said Jim Northup, Shenandoah National Park Superintendent. “With Congress still considering a Centennial bill, we look forward to having additional resources to reach the goal of having those high priority assets restored to good condition.”
Deferred maintenance figures by type, park, and state are available at go.nps.gov/
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