Wildlife Crossings: The New Norm for Transportation Planning

Transportation engineering has the distinct and demanding tradition of meeting human mobility and safety needs. These days, however, more and more transportation professionals are expanding their focus to consider the needs of wildlife and their habitats. Perhaps not coincidentally, the most recent...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:ITE journal 2015-04, Vol.85 (4), p.45
Main Authors: Kociolek, Angela V, Ament, Robert J, Callahan, A Renee, Clevenger, Anthony P
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
21st century
Deer
Ecology
Environmental policy
Environmental protection
Fences
Funding
Habitats
Infrastructure
International conferences
Land use planning
Mobility
Polls & surveys
Roads & highways
Technology transfer
Traffic accidents & safety
Transportation planning
Wildlife
Wildlife conservation
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Summary:Transportation engineering has the distinct and demanding tradition of meeting human mobility and safety needs. These days, however, more and more transportation professionals are expanding their focus to consider the needs of wildlife and their habitats. Perhaps not coincidentally, the most recent US Transportation Act, known as "Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act", or MAP-21 for short, included -- for the first time ever -- explicit language authorizing federal, state, municipal, and tribal highway officials to reduce vehicle-caused wildlife mortality and to maintain habitat connectivity across roadways (23 USC 101 et seq). The convergence of mobility, safety, wildlife connectivity, policy, and funding puts transportation professionals in a strong position to establish the new norm when it comes to surface transportation. This article explores the creative, economic, cultural, and operational dimensions of wildlife-highway mitigation and highlights several efforts by the Animal Road Crossings partnership to identify barriers, potential solutions, and collaborative opportunities.
ISSN:0162-8178