Endangered species are at particular risk: Roadway fatalities are a “major threat” to 21 federally endangered or threatened species, including Florida panthers, desert tortoises and Hawaiin geese, the FHWA found. This includes big game animals like deer down to turtles and amphibians, says Arnett. sees 1 to 2 million wildlife-vehicle collisions each year, according to an FHWA report. “There are many, many examples that we have from GPS collar information from animals where their migration movements just stop right at the highways,” says Ed Arnett, chief scientist with the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership.Įven with the more timid animals turning away, an unprecedented number are hit annually. But as the number of cars increases, many animals won’t even bother, their habitats effectively shrinking. At lower traffic densities, deer, elk and other species may attempt to trot across at their own risk. Roads, especially highways with fast-moving vehicles, chop apart the large territories that carnivores need and block seasonal migrations of deer, elk and bighorn sheep. So, officials and biologists are looking for ways to speed up the construction of new bridges and tunnels.
#HIGHWAY UNDERPASS WILDLIFE DRIVERS#
But in the U.S., experts say they’re not nearly keeping up with the growing number of roads and the drivers that use them. And wildlife bridges are already common in some places, like Canada’s Banff National Park, which has 38 underpasses and six overpasses. The first bridge in the United States was built in Utah in the ’70s. In total, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) estimates the annual cost of vehicle-wildlife collisions is more than $8 billion. Many collisions with larger animals damage vehicles, incurring costs from repairs, medical bills and towing-in addition to the value of the animal itself. Although their price tag may be steep, they can pay for themselves in the following years according to a study in Ecology and Society, the average cost of colliding with an elk is $17,483. Over the past few decades, wildlife crossings-which include land bridges and underpasses-have proven effective in connecting migration routes, avoiding collisions and saving animal and human lives. of Transportation, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and ECO-resolutions)
While a simple bare bridge might suffice for deer and elk, smaller and slower-moving critters-like snails and salamanders-need the forest floor to essentially extend across the highway to move to new areas on the other side.Ī herd of deer use a wildlife underpass along Colorado State Highway 9. Garvey-Darda says the project team will even transplant soil samples from nearby areas into the crossings to inoculate the crossing with fungi to help the plants grow. The overcrossing, expected to be completed next fall, will be vegetated with native plants. Since 2009, it’s created numerous routes under the road in addition to one massive, highly visible bridge over the pavement. That’s why Garvey-Darda and a team of wildlife and transportation officials are pleased that a long-dreamed-of effort is underway: The $1-billion Interstate 90 project aims to widen a 15-mile stretch of highway, located about 50 miles east of Seattle between Snoqualmie Pass and Easton. In addition to making roads smoother and safer for drivers, the plan also helps wildlife move. Cougars and other carnivores need large territories to hunt and search for mates. “Even though the South Cascades is a lot of land, it’s not enough to maintain a viable population of a lot of carnivore species,” says Patricia Garvey-Darda, a Forest Service wildlife biologist. The highway also cut across streams, impeding fish passage. But when Interstate 90 was built in the 1950s, running east-west across the state, it spliced ecosystems between the northern and southern Cascades. Washington’s Cascade mountain range houses some of the country’s most intriguing mammals, including black bears, cougars, grey wolves and wolverines.
Although they are a proven benefit to drivers and animals alike, bridges and tunnels across roads aren’t being built fast enough, experts say.
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