Notably, the bipartisan infrastructure package passed by Congress in 2021 created a new $350 million competitive grant program for states, local governments and tribes specifically to build more wildlife crossings over the next five years. Hitting an elk ballooned the average cost per collision to $24,242 and a moose even more, $42,652 per collision. Aside from matters of life and death, WSDOT estimated the average vehicle-deer collision resulted in economic costs of $9,175. WSDOT published a report of its own earlier this year on the benefits of wildlife crossings for road safety. On the other hand, tunnel-like passages appeared popular with bears and amphibians. Previous studies using wildlife cameras showed deer prefer airy, open crossings and shy away from enclosed culvert underpasses. Deer are by far the most commonly found carcasses along state highways in the Pacific Northwest. This finding derives partly from which species prefer which structure design. Often, the cost represents an incremental add-on to a large highway improvement project.īy Sugiarto’s analysis, the more expensive wildlife bridges were more effective in reducing collisions than cheaper culvert designs. The cost for an overpass can range from $2.7 million to $6.2 million. The study said the construction cost for a wildlife underpass can range from $500,000 to $2.7 million. “I hope that with this amount of benefits – in terms of quantified benefits – can give some information for transportation planners to think about.” “If you plan on a structure having a 30-year lifespan, then there’s a lot of benefits,” Sugiarto said in an interview. The savings varied based on structure size, design and location. The study estimated each crossing structure could save society between $235,000 and $443,000 annually through collision reductions. Sugiarto found a favorable cost-benefit analysis. The raw data came from crash reports filed to WSDOT from 2011-2020. He compared those numbers to a control group of highway stretches that didn’t have the wildlife safety features. Wisnu Sugiarto of the WSU School of Economic Sciences tallied the number of serious animal-vehicle collisions in the vicinity of 13 crossing structures in Washington. The new study published in the journal Transportation Research Record by a WSU doctoral student looked at the efficacy and economics of those road safety improvements. The Oregon and Washington transportation departments are adding wildlife overpasses, underpasses and related fencing bit by bit, as scarce funding allows. That is according to a new study out of Washington State University that supports the case for building more wildlife crossings on highways. The medical, car repair and cleanup costs really add up. Collisions between vehicles and large animals, like deer, are not only scary.
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