The economic impact of the Great American Outdoors Act was outlined by U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., during a June 18 media call.
The act that would address a $12 billion maintenance backlog in national parks and create jobs passed the Senate last week with more than 70 votes, according to Warner.
Warner added that he hopes President Donald Trump will sign the bill on July 4.
Warner said the Blue Ridge Parkway has $433 million in maintenance backlog which equates to about $1 million a mile.
He noted that overall, Virginia has the third largest amount of deferred maintenance. To address these shortfalls, he said the bill would create an estimated 10,340 jobs in the Commonwealth alone.
“It’s a real win for those who value and enjoy the outdoors, those who want to preserve our history and heritage, and it’s also a jobs bill,” Warner said.
He added that the vast majority of the jobs will be construction jobs to assist with upgrades to “bridges, potholes and to getting our welcome centers up to par,” but other jobs in the tourism sector would also be added.