National Park Service delayed $11 billion in maintenance last year because of bu

[cpzilliacus]

Washington Post: National Park Service delayed $11 billion in maintenance last year because of budget challenges

The National Park Service is increasingly neglecting its trails, roads and visitor centers because of recent budget constraints, according to a report from the agency this week.

The park service said it delayed an estimated $11.5 billion worth of needed maintenance projects last year due to funding shortages, with the total growing nearly 2 percent compared to 2013.

Rising construction costs have heightened the agency's budget challenges, with upkeep growing more expensive as park facilities fall further into disrepair, according to the report. (Here's a list of deferred projects by state and by park).

[bandit957]

This is inexcusable.

The government can spend trillions on a war, but can't lift a finger to pay for national parks?

[nexus73]

Just another sickening story about where the USA is today.  We are crumbling away on all transportation infrastructure fronts it seems.  In my town of around 10K it is figured that it would take $20 million to do all needed street repairs and upgrades.  The scale of the rotting away of America only goes up from the small town level.  I am hopelessly sad over this situation.

Rick

[Pete from Boston]

Here's what you do: donate to your favorite park's Friends group.  This is how parks get money now, and there is no way for the government to reallocate those funds.

[cpzilliacus]

Here's what you do: donate to your favorite park's Friends group.  This is how parks get money now, and there is no way for the government to reallocate those funds.

A modest personal suggestion - federal taxpayers should stop funding the federal parkways in the Washington, D.C. region.  Now.  The money spent on those parkways can be put to better use maintaining the core assets of our national parks.

Full disclosure: I use those parkways on a frequent basis.

Their upkeep and improvement should be funded by their users through tolls instead (and the revenue should not go back to the U.S. Treasury, but should stay with NPS to maintain, patrol and otherwise operate the "motor roads" (NPS term) in D.C. and nearby Maryland and Virginia). 

It might be worthwhile to charge tolls on longer and generally rural parkways like the Blue Ridge Parkway, Natchez Trace Parkway and the Colonial Parkway, but that's not what I am proposing here.