WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Transportation is distributing $110 million to support 19 projects across 17 states, aimed at minimizing wildlife-related car accidents and facilitating safe animal crossings. These initiatives are part of a larger five-year, $350 million program, a component of the $1 trillion 2021 infrastructure law.
Currently, wildlife-vehicle collisions, especially with large animals such as deer, result in approximately 200 human fatalities and 26,000 injuries annually, apart from causing over $8 billion in damages. The Federal Highway Administrator, Shailen Bhatt, emphasized the significance of this funding in addressing these safety concerns.
Notable among the funded projects is Arizona’s $24 million initiative. This includes the construction of nearly 17 miles of wildlife fencing, along with improvements to existing structures like culverts and cattle guards on Interstate-17, primarily to benefit elk and mule deer.
Wyoming will use its $24.4 million allocation to create an overpass, several underpasses, and extensive wildlife fencing along a 30-mile stretch of US 189, a region where wildlife incidents constituted nearly 20% of all traffic crashes from 2017 to 2021.
Colorado received $22 million for the construction of a substantial overpass on Interstate-25, situated between Denver and Colorado Springs. Named the Greenland Wildlife Overpass, it will be among the largest of its kind in North America, designed to decrease vehicle collisions with elk and mule deer.
Vermont’s share of the funding, $1.6 million, is earmarked for designing an underpass in the Green Mountains, enhancing safe passage for larger species like black bears and moose.
This announcement comes against the backdrop of an alarming increase in U.S. road fatalities since the pandemic, with a 10.5% surge in 2021, marking the highest death toll on American roads since 2005.