Wildlife Crossings Program
Program Overview
In creating the Wildlife Crossing Program, Congress found that there are more than 1,000,000 wildlife vehicle collisions (WVCs) annually which present a danger to human safety and wildlife survival, cost over $8 billion, and result in approximately tens of thousands of serious injuries and hundreds of fatalities on U.S. roadways.
The Wildlife Crossings Program was established in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 (Pub. L. No. 117-58, November 15, 2021), also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), and codified at 23 U.S.C. § 171. BIL includes several provisions to reduce WVCs and improve habitat connectivity.
Funding Opportunities
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is providing Wildlife Crossing Pilot Program (WCPP) discretionary grants to reduce wildlife vehicle collisions (WVCs) while improving habitat connectivity for terrestrial and aquatic species.
More information about funding opportunities can be found here: https://highways.dot.gov/federal-lands/wildlife-crossings/pilot-program
Program Activities
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is performing studies and developing several deliverables to advance the state of the practice for wildlife crossings to reduce wildlife vehicle collisions (WVCs) and improve habitat connectivity.
- Best Practices Study and Report
- Statewide Transportation and Wildlife Action Plans
- Workforce Development and Technical Training
- Collision and Carcass Data Methodology
- National Mitigation Threshold Guidance
- Wildlife Crossing Design Standards
More information about program activities can be found here: https://highways.dot.gov/federal-lands/wildlife-crossings/program-activities
Program Resources
- Wildlife Vehicle Collision Reduction Study: Report to Congress (2008)
- Wildlife Vehicle Collision Reduction Study: Best Practices Manual (2008)
- Wildlife Crossing Structure Handbook (2011)
- Wildlife Vehicle Collision Reduction and Habitat Connectivity Pooled Fund Study (2022)
- Environmental Review Toolkit
- Program Overview Poster 6.1.23
Program Contact Information
Email Notifications