Animal bridges

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North Carolina House of Representatives gives $5 million in funding for wildlife safe passage infrastructure

The funding can help cover projects like overpasses, underpasses and fencing that prevent cars from crashing with wildlife.

The North Carolina House of Representatives appropriated $5 million to build infrastructure meant to help prevent cars from crashing into wildlife on the road, according to a press release from the Safe Passage Fund Coalition.

The funding could help cover projects like overpasses, underpasses and fencing along roads and highways. One of the projects could include a project to build wildlife benches and cattle guards along I-4 near Harmon Den, near the Great Smoky Mountains, to deter animals from crossing the road.

https://www-wbir-com.cdn.ampproject...nding/51-4a2c8ad4-0f0c-4439-9f83-b24f02be30bd
 
First Federally Funded Program to Prevent Wildlife-Vehicle Collisions is Launched

Details for a first-of-its-kind pilot program to ensure safer roads for both humans and wildlife, as well as improve habitat connectivity, were announced by the Biden Administration today.

This comes more than a year after passing the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which designates
$350 million in federal funds to the program. Administered by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), states now have access to apply for desperately needed resources to build wildlife road crossings.

First Federally Funded Program to Prevent Wildlife-Vehicle Collisions is Launched  — Wildlands Network
 
Montana State University releases reports as part of major project on wildlife crossing structures

As part of a multi-state and Canadian research effort involving the Western Transportation Institute at Montana State University, more than a dozen new reports summarizing the latest science and economics of structures designed to reduce animal-vehicle collisions are now available online.

The Western Transportation Institute was the research lead of the Wildlife Vehicle Collision Reduction and Habitat Connectivity Pooled Fund Study, a $1.2 million project involving more than a dozen partners in the U.S. and Canada. The project’s 14 reports identify cost-effective solutions that integrate highway safety and mobility with wildlife conservation and habitat connectivity.

The other partners on the study were transportation departments in Alaska, Arizona, California, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, Ontario, Oregon and Washington as well as the Ontario Ministry of Transportation and Parks Canada Agency. The project was supported by the U.S. Federal Highway Administration and ARC Solutions, an international organization promoting wildlife crossing structures. The Montana Department of Transportation, which has been a longtime partner with WTI on wildlife crossing research, provided research sites and other support for the work.

MSU releases reports as part of major project on wildlife crossing structures
 
US rolls out funding for wildlife crossings along busy roads

Native American tribes, as well as state and local governments, will be able to tap into $350 million in infrastructure funds to build wildlife corridors along busy roads and add warning signs for drivers in what federal officials are billing as the first-of-its-kind pilot program to prevent collisions and improve habitat connectivity.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg rolled out more details about the program during a visit to Santa Ana Pueblo on Tuesday. Wildlife managers with the New Mexico tribe have been tracking mountain lions, elk and other animals across tens of thousands of acres in north-central New Mexico and have documented casualties along busy highways that cut through tribal boundaries.

Buttigieg visited one of the culverts under Interstate 25 near the pueblo that serves a migratory byway for animals that travel between the high desert mountain ranges that border tribal land and the cottonwood and willow forests along the Rio Grande.

US rolls out funding for wildlife crossings along busy roads
 
There’s money for wildlife crossings, but will someone build one by Gallatin Canyon?

When asked if Gallatin County is aware of the problem of wildlife collisions on U.S. Highway 191, County Commissioner Jennifer Boyer is emphatic: “Yes, definitely. For sure. That’s an easy yes.”

The stretch of highway that connects Big Sky with Bozeman saw a spike in elk-vehicle collisions last fall, and collisions in the corridor remain a hot issue for several local, state and federal agencies. Wildlife-vehicle collisions and ecological fragmentation is a major problem in Montana and around the country, and two new sources of funding designated to address those problems could make wildlife crossing structures in the Gallatin Canyon a step closer to reality.

On April 3 of this year, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced a pilot program intended to improve habitat connectivity and reduce vehicle-wildlife collisions. The Wildlife Crossings Program designates a total of $350 million over five years to projects that increase the safety of roads and improve ecosystem connectivity.

Funding is also available through the Montana Wildlife & Transportation Partnership. The MWTP is accepting proposals for stand-alone projects that reduce wildlife-vehicle conflicts and increase opportunities for wildlife to cross Montana’s roads safely.

There’s money for wildlife crossings, but will someone build one by Gallatin Canyon?
 
Governor Joe Lombardo Signs Law Prioritizing Safe Wildlife Crossings in Nevada

Gov. Joe Lombardo has signed Assembly Bill 112 into law, which will increase the number of safe wildlife crossings in Nevada.

The measure will create a Wildlife Crossings account in the state's General Fund, and call on the departments of Transportation and Wildlife to collaboratively identify where animal crossings are needed.

Christi Cabrera-Georgeson, deputy director of the Nevada Conservation League, said the law appropriates $5 million for the account, to be used as matching money to leverage federal funding to invest in underpasses and overpasses permitting wildlife to cross roads safely. She called it a win for Nevadans and wildlife.

Governor Signs Law Prioritizing Safe Wildlife Crossings in Nevada
 
Idaho's first wildlife overpass under construction

Advocates of the project hope the overpass helps reduce the number of wild animal-related crashes along State Highway 21.

Some of Idaho's wildlife between Lucky Peak and Idaho City will soon have another way to cross State Highway 21.

The state's first wildlife overpass is under construction, with a finish date of October. Scott Rudel, Idaho Transportation Department environmental planner, said the area is a hotspot for crashes between drivers and animals.

https://www-ktvb-com.cdn.ampproject...tion/277-faa45599-b778-4385-be46-515b5ce9d00d
 
Utah Governor Signs Budget Designating Annual Funding for Wildlife Crossings

Recurring commitment is first of its kind in the nation

On March 21, 2024, Utah Governor Spencer Cox (R) wrapped up the bill-signing period following the 2024 general legislative session. Included in the 555 bills signed into law was a budget item dedicating long-term funding for wildlife crossings—the first such ongoing funding in U.S. history. Leaders from both parties, including Utah Speaker of the House Mike Schultz (R) and Representative Doug Owens (D), have worked together in recent years to direct state funding toward reducing wildlife-vehicle collisions by constructing infrastructure that provides safe passage for migrating wildlife.

Utah Governor Signs Budget Designating Annual Funding for Wildlife Crossings | The Pew Charitable Trusts
 
The tunnels, trails and bridges built especially for bears

To truly thrive, bears and other wild animals need to roam widely between habitats. Wildlife tunnels, trails and bridges can help – but are they enough?

In the north-west of the US, a rocky green and grey landscape juts and curves its way north to Canada, and south to Mexico. These are the Rocky Mountains, home to roving wolverine, majestic elk – and several hundred grizzly bears, whose population has been recovering thanks to efforts to reconnect their habitat so they can roam more freely.

The tunnels, trails and bridges built especially for bears

 
New initiative aims to turbocharge wildlife-crossing construction across California

A vision to provide safe passage for mountain lions above 10 lanes of whizzing traffic near Los Angeles faced a foe: time.

Genetically isolated pumas hemmed in by the 101 Freeway were showing birth defects and needed an outlet fast.

A massive philanthropic challenge grant allowed the $92-million Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing to advance rapidly and encouraged state investment — and the underlying collaborative model has inspired a new effort to build passages for animals across the state.

Wednesday saw the launch of California Wildlife Reconnected, an initiative dreamed up by Gov. Gavin Newsom, state agencies and nonprofits to leverage public and private resources to develop and swiftly implement a statewide plan for wildlife connectivity.

New initiative aims to turbocharge wildlife-crossing construction across California
 
Critical New York Wildlife Bill Awaits Governor Hochul's Signature

If Governor Hochul signs the New York Wildlife Crossing Act (S4198B) into law, it will mark a significant step forward for both public safety and wildlife conservation in the state. This bill directs the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) and the New York State Thruway Authority (NYSTA) to utilize existing data on wildlife-vehicle collisions and habitat fragmentation to identify key areas for wildlife crossings. With the potential for grant funds from the federal Wildlife Crossing Pilot Program, this act is a catalyst that will improve New York's ability to protect wildlife and reduce the number of wildlife-vehicle collisions.

The statistics are staggering: New York experiences approximately
65,000
deer-vehicle collisions annually, many of which can cost upwards of $40,000. These statistics aren't entirely exhaustive since this data excludes incidents involving other large and small animals, including threatened and endangered species. Additionally, wildlife habitat fragmentation and corridor loss are among the primary causes of biodiversity loss. Some areas have seen a reduction in biodiversity upwards of 75%.

Critical New York Wildlife Bill Awaits Governor Hochul's Signature — Wildlands Network - Biodiversity Conservation + Wildlife Crossings
 
UK’s first ever bison bridges under construction in Kent woodland

Four bridges will allow herds to pass beneath public footpaths while visitors may catch glimpse of bison from above

When Europe’s heaviest land mammals were introduced into a woodland on the edge of Canterbury, it was hoped they would flourish and make space for other wildlife.

But the European bison have been so successful in West Blean and Thornden Woods that more space must be made for them – in the form of Britain’s first ever bison bridges.

UK’s first ever bison bridges under construction in Kent woodland
 
Sound barriers help Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing create a calm environment above the roar traffic

The creation of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing has been a series of “wow” moments for Beth Pratt of the National Wildlife Federation, with each visit to the site leaving her in a renewed state of awe.

“Every time I come up, there’s something different,” she said, standing in the middle of the concrete slab that completely spans the 101 Freeway. “There’s always really emotional moments, because you just picture wildlife crossing this and what it means for wildlife, eventually.”

What You Need To Know
  • Sound barriers installed on the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing not only block the sound of the 101 Freeway below but also shield animals from the glow of headlights passing beneath
  • Caltrans officials say the surface of the span was created using 27 million pounds of poured concrete
  • The crossing will ultimately be covered by 1 to 4 feet of soil to support the growth of native vegetation, which lead designer Robert Rock says is essentially “a giant green roof”
  • Caltrans expects the massive project to be completed in 2026
Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing creates calm above 101 Freeway
 
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