Up to a dozen states have now invested funds to build wildlife migration corridors to decrease the incidence of cars and trucks colliding with moose, deer, and elk, among other animals.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, anywhere from 1 to 2 million motorists collide with wildlife every year causing up to 200 human deaths. The federal Department of Transportation, meanwhile, has estimated that at least 1 million animals die as a result of those same collisions.
Most states tackling the issue are in the West, with lawmakers in Colorado this year giving their approval to the allocation of some $5 million for the building of wildlife crossings.
Earlier this year, New Mexico completed a wildlife corridor action plan, with legislators allocating $2 million. A New Mexico lawmaker, Senator Mimi Stewart, has told the Albuquerque Journal that she’d like to secure up to $50 million in the upcoming 2023 legislative session to begin the actual construction of those crossings.
Lawmakers in Wyoming have similarly set aside in excess of $10 million to build wildlife crossings, with Governor Mark Gordon putting his signature on an executive order establishing a process for the designation of such corridors.
The larger effort is additionally being spurred by up to $350 million via the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to build new wildlife crossings. Notes Governing magazine: “Now it’s up to agencies such as the Federal Highway Administration to efficiently implement these programs so that tribes, states, and other stakeholders can apply for these critical grants.”
It is expected that at least $60 million will be made available between now and next year through the FHA program. Local governments, metropolitan planning organizations, and regional transportation authorities may also be eligible for grant funding under the program.
Costs to build the corridors range widely, with underpasses usually tunneled in an area of hills, and 8-foot-tall fences on both sides of the corridor running a length of three miles to steer the wildlife into the crossings.
By Garry Boulard
