The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) announced on Friday $125 million in grants for 126 wildlife crossing projects in 16 states. The funding is made available through the Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program, which is part of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).
The purpose of the Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program is to improve safety for motorists and wildlife by reducing vehicle collisions with wildlife while also improving habitat connectivity and supporting the survival of threatened or endangered species.
The funding supports studies and projects that construct wildlife crossings over and below busy roads, add fencing to direct animals to the crossings and monitor performance of crossing systems. The IIJA makes a total of $350 million available over five years through fiscal year 2026 under the Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program.
“Too many Americans are injured or killed each year in crashes involving cars and wildlife, especially in rural areas—which is why our Department created the first-ever program dedicated to crossings that make roads and highways safer for both humans and wildlife,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
Some of the projects include $33.2 million going to the Oregon Department of Transportation to build a wildlife crossing along Interstate 5 within southwest Oregon’s Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation will receive $25 million to install multiple wildlife underpass structures and fencing along U.S. Route 64 within the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge.
Source: USDOT, NWF.org
