Letter to Hon. Scott de la Vega, Acting Secretary of United States Department of the Interior - Warner, Kaine & Luria Urge Biden Administration to Include Funding to Repair Colonial Parkway in President's Budget

Letter

Dear Acting Director de la Vega:
As the Department of the Interior continues its work on the FY22 Budget, we urge the Department to
allocate funds from the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) to address significant deferred
maintenance along the historic and vital Colonial Parkway, located within Colonial National Historical
Park (COLO). The deferred maintenance backlog at COLO currently stands at $434 million, the
highest of any unit in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Critical maintenance needs along the Colonial
Parkway make up a significant portion of COLO's deferred maintenance backlog.
The Colonial Parkway holds significant historical value and plays a vital role for communities in
Eastern Virginia. Completed in 1957, the Colonial Parkway is a 23-mile scenic roadway that extends
from the York River at Yorktown to the James River at Jamestown. The Parkway connects Virginia's
Historic Triangle: Historic Jamestown, Colonial Williamsburg, and Yorktown Battlefield -- three of
the most historically significant sites in our country. Congress passed the GAOA in large part to
preserve our historical sites for future generations of Americans. Virginia's Historic Triangle is integral
to the story of our nation's founding.
In addition to linking these historic sites, the Parkway has become an important local commuter route
in Eastern Virginia. Some sections carry over four million vehicles per year and the Federal Highway
Administration predicts a traffic increase of nearly 50 percent over the next 20 years.
Repairs to the Colonial Parkway are needed to address significant safety and flooding concerns,
preserve and improve access to historical sites like Jamestown and Yorktown Battlefield, and extend
the life of the Parkway.
Thank you for your attention to this request. We understand the difficult task the Department has in
allocating GAOA funds. We look forward to working with the Department on the implementation of
the GAOA to ensure our national parks and public lands have the resources they need to reduce the
deferred maintenance backlog and rebuild critical infrastructure.