Dive Temporary:
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With about 200 individuals killed annually in wildlife-vehicle collisions, the Federal Freeway Administration has launched the $350 million Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program to scale back the hazard, it stated in a press launch Tuesday.
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The 5 years of devoted funding consists of $111 million this 12 months for state and native governments to analysis security improvements and mapping and monitoring instruments in addition to design and assemble overpasses and underpasses for wildlife, amongst different actions. Functions for 2023 are due Aug. 1.
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“There are confirmed practices to stop crashes between autos and wildlife, and with this funding, we’re going to take commonsense steps to scale back collisions and make roads safer for rural and concrete communities alike,” Federal Freeway Administrator Shailen Bhatt stated in a press release.
Dive Perception:
There are greater than 1 million wildlife-vehicle collisions annually, based on the FHWA, with such collisions resulting in tens of hundreds of accidents and inflicting over $8 billion in harm yearly.
The U.S. Division of Transportation stated this system helps the Nationwide Roadway Security Technique it unveiled in January 2022, which goals to eradicate roadway deaths and severe accidents.
“By launching the Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program, we’re taking an essential step to stop lethal crashes in communities throughout the nation and make America’s roadways safer for everybody who makes use of them,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg stated in a assertion.
Site visitors deaths within the U.S. declined by 0.2% within the first 9 months of 2022 in contrast with the identical interval in 2021, based on the newest Nationwide Freeway Site visitors Security Administration estimates. However site visitors fatalities climbed practically 5% in 2020 and an estimated 12% in 2021 in contrast with the earlier years, based on NHTSA.
Along with curbing site visitors deaths and accidents, all tasks beneath the Wildlife Crossings Program ought to intention to “enhance habitat connectivity for terrestrial and aquatic species,” the press launch stated.
In keeping with the Pew Charitable Trusts, wildlife crossings cut back wildlife-vehicle collisions by as much as 90% when they’re correctly sited and designed.
Congress created and funded the Wildlife Crossings Program beneath the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure legislation.