Stimulus to benefit Sun Road

Glacier National Park is getting an additional $27 million in federal stimulus funding to pay for ongoing reconstruction of Going-to-the-Sun Road.

The National Park Service on Thursday announced that the Federal Highway Administration would receive a total of $170 million to be spent in national parks under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

"Roadways in national parks revolutionized and provided the opportunity for Americans to visit the magnificent areas managed by the National Park Service," Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said in a press release. "This funding from the Federal Highway Administration will assure that visitors … can drive safely on the Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park, enjoy the beauty of Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park and be inspired as they drive the tour routes at Antietam National Battlefield in Maryland."

The Sun Road money is in addition to about $17 million in stimulus funding that Glacier will receive for other purposes, such as historic structure rehabilitation and trail work.

The park already has funding for this summer's work. The new stimulus funding will be applied to reconstruction from the Big Bend area to Logan Pass, work that is expected to start next summer. In October, that work was estimated to cost about $21.3 million.

"The amount that Glacier is getting is $27 million for the Going-to-the-Sun Road," said Amy Vanderbilt, the park's public affairs officer. "That will help us fund much more than we thought before."

The Federal Highway Administration money will fund 71 projects in 27 national parks. The projects were selected based on road condition, safety and public use. Qualified projects also had to meet a requirement for contract award and completed construction before September 2010.

Reporter Jim Mann may be reached at 758-4407 or by e-mail at jmann@dailyinterlake.com