NPS - National Park Service
10/24/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/24/2024 14:20
National Park Service Director celebrates completion of $24 million shoreline restoration project in Colonial National Historical Park
News Release Date: October 24, 2024
Contact: [email protected]
YORKTOWN, Va. - Yesterday, National Park Service Director Chuck Sams joined a celebration in Colonial National Historical Park marking the completion of a $24 million shoreline restoration project supported by the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) Legacy Restoration Fund.
"Millions of visitors travel to this incredible park every year to learn about our country's history, but to help protect the past we must look to the future," said Sams. "GAOA and other funding sources are part of a concerted effort to address substantial infrastructure improvements and maintenance repair needs in national parks."
Tides, storms, and sea level rise had altered a 3-mile stretch of the York River shoreline, resulting in severe erosion and shoreline loss that threatened archeological sites and the stability of a section of the Colonial Parkway.
The project, funded with approximately $12 million from GAOA and $12 million from the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (FLREA), reinforced the infrastructure of the scenic road and extended its life expectancy. Along the river, the project increased the height of the embankment, installed new rock sills and breakwaters, and enhanced or added vital wetland and marsh habitat, also known as living shoreline, to guard against future shoreline loss and other impacts of climate change.
Supported by revenue from energy development, GAOA's Legacy Restoration Fund provides up to $1.3 billion per year for five years to the National Park Service to make significant enhancements in national parks to ensure their preservation and provide opportunities for recreation, education, and enjoyment for current and future visitors.
Additional funding for this project came from FLREA fee dollars collected in the parks, demonstrating the importance of generating and using park entrance and amenity fees to enhance the visitor experience, address deferred maintenance and repair needs, mitigate climate change impacts, and modernize critical infrastructure.
In addition to the York River Shoreline Stabilization project, the Great American Outdoors Act is funding an approximately $123 million repair and reconstruction of about 10 miles of the oldest sections of the Colonial Parkway.
The project is the first major rehabilitation project on the parkway since its full length was opened to traffic in 1957.
The project will replace pavement, shoulders, curbs, guardrails, and signage; rehabilitate bridges and tunnels; install a stormwater management system; and improve overall safety.
These extensive infrastructure projects funded by GAOA will help prepare the park, which includes the first permanent English settlement in Jamestown and the last major battle of the American Revolutionary War at Yorktown, for the anticipated increased attention as the nation approaches the 250th anniversary in 2026 of its founding.
About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 430+ national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov, and on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.