(Photo by Peter O'Dowd/KJZZ)

A settlement is in the works in a lawsuit filed by a concessionaire over a lucrative contract at the Grand Canyon.

Trail repairs at the Grand Canyon are in progress, thanks to a $1 million gift from Arizona Public Service.

A third of that money will be put towards immediate trail repairs, and the rest is an endowment for future maintenance. Grand Canyon Superintendent David Uberuaga said the park service has not been able to keep up.

“Well our backlog is around $20 million in trails right now. There are trails out there where there is trees across on the north rim that haven’t been removed for a long time," said Uberuaga. 

Uberuaga said this money will allow crews to reach trails in the back country. Artist Bruce Aiken lived in the canyon for over 30 years when he worked for the park service.

“The backlog maintenance thing is not just like they didn’t paint the houses one year or they didn’t patch potholes. Oh this goes all the way into deep infrastructure, and the trails are part of that," said Aiken. 

Shade structures, permanent restrooms and parking have already been added to the Bright Angel trailhead.