The Department of Transportation (DOT) reports that it has allocated $40.8 million for 58 projects that will provide safe, convenient access for visitors to America’s national parks, forests and wildlife refuges - all major U.S. travel destinations - and modernize aging transportation infrastructure. The money is provided by the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) Transit in Parks program.
“Our nation’s scenic parklands and protected areas are national treasures attracting millions of visitors each year,” said Secretary LaHood. “It’s vitally important to preserve and protect these lands for today’s visitors as well as future generations by investing in safe, accessible and environmentally sustainable transportation.”
The U.S. National Park Service, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management and local partner communities will receive FTA funds for the projects, DOT says.
“By taking cars off the road and reducing harmful emissions and pollutants in our nation’s most natural and pristine settings, we’re helping Americans and visitors from around the world enjoy the parks, forests and wildlife preserves the way they were meant to be enjoyed,” said FTA Administrator Peter Rogoff.
The goals of the program are to conserve natural, historical and cultural resources, and reduce congestion and pollution, DOT says.
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