Great American Outdoors Act Infrasructure Improvements NPS

North Carolina -- August 4, 2024: Blue Ridge Parkway National Parks Service: The 2020 Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA)

is historic bipartisan legislation that expands equitable and accessible recreational opportunities and addresses long overdue infrastructure improvement and modernization needs on public lands managed by the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Indian Education schools.

The funding is reducing the maintenance and repair backlog, protecting critical resources, expanding recreational opportunities, and promoting long-term sustainable operations.

GAOA is funding several extensive projects on the Parkway including bridge replacement, repaving and rehabilitation projects on sections of the Parkway in North Carolina and Virginia.

The work being undertaken on the Parkway today, represents a monumental investment in the restoration and preservation of the historic motor road. Without GAOA, completing this crucial work would have required two decades’ worth of funding. Although the funding will not cover the Parkway’s maintenance backlog in its entirety, the impact of this historic effort will help keep the Parkway, America’s favorite drive.

NPS Photo: Construction worker standing at the Laurel Fork Bridge project site.