From Grime to Crumbling Masonry, US Parks Get a Makeover

Associated PressPublished: December 9, 2021

FILE PHOTO: WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 27: Workers are seen atop scaffolding around the Jefferson Memorial on the Tidal Basin on March 27, 2021 in Washington, DC. Officials have warned that the famed Cherry Blossom trees will be closed off to the public if crowds grow too large in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The Japanese cherry trees were gifted to Washington, DC, by Tokyo Mayor Yukio Ozaki in 1912 and draw tens of thousands of daily visitors around peak bloom every year. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

By REBECCA REYNOLDS, The Associated Press

Work has begun on giving some of America's most spectacular natural settings and historic icons a makeover.

The Great American Outdoor Act was passed by Congress last year and dedicated up to $1.6 billion a year for the next five years to extensive maintenance and repairs that have been put off year after year.

The Department of the Interior says the funding will go toward critical projects in national parks, forests, wildlife refuges and other areas.

Some of the first projects completed in October included cleaning the marble walls of the Jefferson Memorial and restoring historic masonry grills at New River Gorge, but dozens of other renovations are coming.