How wildlife crossings protect animals and people

Interstate 90 is the longest interstate highway in the United States. It is more than 3,000 miles long and connects Seattle in the west to Boston in the east. But it’s also a huge concrete divide. For animals living north and south of the interstate, this road absolutely ruins their commutes.

The U.S. Forest Service and the Washington State Department of Transportation have teamed up to develop a network of “animal crossings” – overpasses and underpasses – in Washington to provide safe passage for wildlife.

The crossing project constructs 15 miles of structures along Interstate 90 near Snoqualmie Pass in Washington state in areas identified as areas where animals may cross, flanked by large tracts of mostly national forest land. Land is the habitat of all kinds of creatures, large and small.

But if animals are protected on both sides of Interstate 90, what does it matter if they’re not connected? “Because you lose genetic variability,” said Forest Service wildlife biologist Patti Garvey-Dalda, “gradually you start to have localized extinctions, with populations getting further apart and getting larger. The smaller.

Across the country, most animals turn around when they see a busy highway. A brave few might try to cross, but they risk being run over. Wildlife crossings should make the process less dangerous. But there’s no guarantee that if you build it, they will come. Therefore, miles of fencing along the road can guide animals to crossing points. Tall concrete walls block headlights and dampen traffic noise.

“We wanted to mimic the habitat on both sides, the native plants and everything, so the animals wouldn’t see the shift,” Garvey-Darda said.

efficient. In 2022, cameras captured animals, including mule deer, elk and coyotes, crossing the passages more than 5,000 times.

Brian White of the Washington Department of Transportation said the wildlife crossing in Banff, Alberta, Canada is a success story worth emulating. With 38 underground intersections and 6 above-ground intersections along a section of the Trans-Canada Highway that passes through Banff National Park, Banff has reduced wildlife collisions by 80% and is used as a model for intersections around the world.

Back in the United States, there are currently approximately 1,500 wildlife crossing facilities in 43 states. Pronghorns cross Highway 191 in Wyoming. They can be subtle; motorists may not know they’re driving over moose in Montana or a tunnel filled with turtles in Utah.

But you’d be hard-pressed to miss the intersection under construction not far from Los Angeles. Once completed in late 2025 or early 2026, the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing will stretch more than 200 feet across 10 lanes of Highway 101 and accommodate up to 400,000 vehicles per day. This will be the largest wildlife corridor in the country.

“I think it’s really a miracle that on one of the busiest highways in the world, you’re driving underneath it,” said Beth Pratt, regional executive director of the National Wildlife Federation in California. A lion, or a fox, or a fence lizard, or a ground squirrel might have a family up there, and that’s a promising project indeed.

P-22 is a famous mountain lion that roams around Griffith Park in Los Angeles. When he was younger, he somehow crossed two highways, only to become a lonely Hollywood bachelor until his death in 2022.

But even for mountain lions that are able to find mates, these dates are a little too close to their habitat, and biologists worry that the small population here may soon become extinct. The crossing is expected to cost $90 million and will expand the date range. This is important for all kinds of creatures, even the less charismatic ones.

Back beneath Interstate 90, Professor Jason Owen and his team of Central Washington University students focus on the various creatures that exploit the underground passages, from toads to salamanders. “It’s great to work on a program where they appreciate this little guy,” he said.

There are lives that are at risk. There are approximately 1 million collisions involving large wildlife on U.S. roadways each year, resulting in approximately 200 fatalities.

Last year, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced Federal grant program totaling $350 million Provide assistance to countries wishing to build border crossings and improve security.

White has seen fewer crashes where crossings are built. “If you think about it this way and think about how many accidents don’t happen, these intersection structures pay for themselves very quickly,” he said.

Fewer road closures mean a faster commute for everyone.

Platt said that while intersection construction in Los Angeles means occasional slowdowns and lane closures, the public can still focus on the benefits along the way.

“Wildlife crossings are a big deal and no matter if you’re a Republican or a Democrat or whatever your political affiliation is – people really support them,” she said. “I think there are very few people who don’t feel uneasy when they see a dead animal on the side of the road. So, I think we can pretty much all agree on this in a time when we have little consensus on wildlife crossings.”

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Story by Michelle Kessel. Editor: Joseph Flandino.