Grand Canyon Requires $531 Million to Restore the National Park’s Infrastructure
The insecurity of America’s infrastructure is not a secret. It simply is not talked about a lot. This is mostly because if people understood how bad it was, they would likely demand reform. However, the Grand Canyon does not have the luxury that most other areas do. The roads and service buildings throughout the National Park are not exactly spring chickens and that is starting to show.
The Grand Canyon services millions of visitors every year and the safety of the visitors is paramount. To ensure the prolonged safety of guests, the park must undergo $531 million worth of repairs. Volunteers and park maintenance work diligently to restore and preserve what they can. However, the increase in park popularity, by forty-percent, officials say, has the park struggling to keep up.
While the Grand Canyon is overjoyed by the influx of visitors, safety remains their top concern. Of course, more visitors mean more revenue for the park, but it also means more strain on the infrastructure. Therefore, instead of helping to fund the repairs, the increase in guests have created a vicious and unending cycle. Instead of progressing, volunteers and officials struggle to keep the wear from overtaking the park.
Hence, the Grand Canyon and other parks are forced to rely on the ever-diminishing funds from Congress. Unfortunately, since 2014 the state parks have continuously lost funding and it does not seem to be getting any better. After all, the Grand Canyon is only one park. There are fifty-eight national parks across the United States. Each of them has similar issues. While the repairs needed might not require $531 million, having to struggle for any amount of money is risky.
The funding issue that the Grand Canyon is facing is not exclusive to this park. However, the volume of people serviced annually is significant. While it is great that people are utilizing the parks, popularity in such a volume has its downsides. Unfortunately, because it is proving impossible to receive any significant funding from Congress, the public is suffering.
The Grand Canyon will continue to do what they can for funding, but the government needs to make a move. Thankfully, the Grand Canyon remains perfectly safe. However, the status quote will not last forever. Officials are hopeful that something will change, and funding will be received. That way, the welcoming of more visitors will no longer be gambling with the longevity of a dilapidated infrastructure.
