Brady PieperOregon will construct the first-ever wildlife overcrossing on Interstate 5 (I-5) between Mexico and Canada, in part, thanks to a surge in support from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).
The FHWA is awarding a $33.2 million federal grant to advance the state’s ambitious public safety and environmental sustainability project in the Cascade Siskiyou National Monument. The project, led by the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), will construct a wildlife overpass above I-5 to reduce the frequency of wildlife-vehicle collisions in southern Oregon and expand federal efforts to preserve critical biodiversity throughout the country. 
The federal support for ODOT’s project comes from the second round of the FHWA’s Wildlife Crossing Pilot Program, which awarded $125 million in grants for state transportation agencies to construct wildlife overcrossings and undercrossings around the nation. Oregon’s legislature will match FHWA’s commitment, contributing $3.8 million to the project under the state’s house bill 5202 in 2022.
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Wildlife undercrossings and overcrossings, such as tunnels, passages and bridges with natural elements that span across roads, can provide an effective solution to mitigate wildlife-vehicle collisions on high-danger highways, according to ODOT officials.
ODOT’s proposed overpass will be located within the Mariposa Preserve on milepost 1.7, an area home to a plethora of species, including deer, elk, black bear and rare plants. Deemed a priority for funding, the project will assist a hazardous segment of I-5 that carries over 17,000 vehicles daily and is a red zone for wildlife-vehicle collisions in Oregon.
The proposed wildlife overpass will span both the northbound and southbound lanes of I-5 to create a safe crossing point for animals. To lure wildlife to the crossing, the project will involve several miles of fencing in either direction. While the fences are critical to preventing animals from straying onto highways, project officials acknowledge there are construction challenges due to the hilly terrain.
In addition to the overpass and fencing initiatives, the project will include a series of habitat improvements designed to reconnect wildlife corridors that have been fragmented by human development and highway construction.
In partnership with the Southern Oregon Wildlife Crossing Coalition (SOWCC), ODOT will collaboratie on this proposed overpass and potential future crossings with a combination of scientists, state and federal agencies, hunting groups, environmental organizations and educational institutions.
ODOT and the coalition expect the wildlife crossing project to enhance public and operator safety, provide uninhibited migration paths for wildlife, conserve rare species, preserve habitats, and support sustainable hunting in the Cascade Siskiyou National Monument region.
Having completed the fundraising, feasibility study, site selection and engineering and design stages, the project will enter the final design and construction periods.. While there isn’t a timeline for the construction bid process available yet, project officials anticipate the start of construction in 2028.
While the Cascade Siskiyou National Monument initiative is vital, it is not the first in the state, bringing the total of wildlife crossings to seven in Oregon. Other wildlife underpass projects have shown an 86% decrease in the rate of wildlife-vehicle collisions since implementation, reducing the overall cost of crashes, medical claims and property damage to the traveling public.
The wildlife crossing project will also advance several state initiatives seeking to improve public safety and protect the environment. Additional resources on the state’s wildlife conservation and public safety efforts are available in Oregon’s Wildlife Crossings guidance.
Oregon’s project and others funded by the federal Wildlife Crossing Pilot Program will have access to $350 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds to make the nation’s highways safer for drivers, passengers and wildlife. More information, including ways to get involved, can be found on the FHWA’s program webpage.
Photo courtesy Oregon Department of Transportation, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
