Great American Outdoors Act National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund Newsroom

The $113 million restoration of the Tidal Basin and West Potomac Park seawall is finishing eight months ahead of schedule and under budget. The project and the planting of new cherry trees were made possible through the Great American Outdoors Act, a landmark conservation achievement from President Donald J. Trump’s first administration. This investment addresses decades of flooding, sinking ground, and aging infrastructure while safeguarding the cherry trees and surrounding memorials for future generations.

National Park Service officials announced today that work will resume on a multi-year Great American Outdoor Act road project in western North Carolina. Intermittent road closures are set to begin in mid-March from milepost 280 to 285 near Parkway School Road, and also from milepost 291.8, at US 321/221, to milepost 305.1, near Beacon Heights and US221. This is the final phase of work on a $100M+ project, spanning 75 miles of the parkway. The project includes repaving and rehabilitation along the mainline motor road, as well as repairs to road drainage structures, curbs, walks, shoulders, guardrails, overlooks and signage.

The National Parks of Boston will commemorate the 250th Anniversary of Evacuation Day with a series of events marking the historic departure of British forces from Boston in 1776 and the first major victory of the American Revolutionary War. The public is invited to witness a ceremonial procession through South Boston, reenacting the transportation of a “Noble Train” canon toward the Dorchester Heights Monument. The commemorative program begins at 11 a.m., as park partners and community leaders officially rededicate the newly refurbished monument at Dorchester Heights. The 115-foot-high landmark recently underwent a comprehensive $37 million restoration, a centerpiece project funded by President Donald J. Trump’s landmark Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) Legacy Restoration Fund.

The National Park Service today announced that all lanes of the George Washington Memorial Parkway north section are now open during rush hour. Parkway improvements include safer pavement, improved drainage, and restored historic overlooks while reducing disruption for motorists and visitors. This project was funded by the Great American Outdoors Act.

The National Park Service today announced the early completion of the Tidal Basin seawall reconstruction, a major step in protecting some of the nation’s most recognizable memorials and landscapes. Funded by the Great American Outdoors Act and supporting the executive order on Making the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful, the work strengthens the shoreline around the Jefferson Memorial, the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial and the world-famous cherry blossom trees.

The public reopening of an iconic roadway was celebrated today in Theodore Roosevelt National Park. A ribbon-cutting ceremony marking the completion of the approximately $51 million South Unit Scenic Loop Road rehabilitation project featured remarks by U.S. Senator John Hoeven, National Park Service Regional Director Bert Frost, and Park Superintendent Rachel Daniels. The Great American Outdoors Act Legacy Restoration Fund (GAOA) provided the funding to address erosion, drainage and safety issues, stabilize banks, regrade slopes, repave surfaces, improve parking areas and pull outs, and enhance the visitor experience for more than six miles of road which suffered significance damage from slides caused by severe rain in 2019.

The National Park Service, in collaboration with the National Park Foundation and Friends of Minidoka, held a special event on Sept. 26 to celebrate upcoming restoration and construction projects at three national parks in southern Idaho. The event featured remarks from NPS leadership and partners, a ceremonial groundbreaking, and a preview of the Minidoka National Historic Site restoration projects. Funding comes from the Great American Outdoors Act’s Legacy Restoration Fund, which addresses high-priority maintenance needs across the National Park System.

The National Park Service awarded a $14 million contract, funded by the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) Legacy Restoration Fund, to start a multi-year effort to breathe new life into the historic buildings at Hampton National Historic Site. The extensive project will restore and rehabilitate up to 14 historic buildings, including the mansion, greenhouses, overseer’s house, and living quarters once used by enslaved families and tenant farmers.

Access will be limited on a portion of Cow Island Road just west of Cow Creek in south Blaine County, Montana, beginning Sept. 29 as contractors work to replace a damaged 3-foot-diameter culvert running under the road. The Cow Island culvert repair project is funded by the Great American Outdoors Act.

On September 9, the National Park Service reopened seven miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway from milepost 241.1, just south of Doughton Park and The Bluffs restaurant, to milepost 248.1, at NC 18 near Laurel Springs. Opening this road section signifies the completion of another section in a 75-mile road reconstruction project underway in northwest North Carolina. Funding for this project comes from the Great American Outdoors Act’s (GAOA) Legacy Restoration Fund. GAOA is part of a concerted effort to address the extensive maintenance and repair backlog in national parks.