A real-world animal crossing — with room to share with people — is in the works in Western Massachusetts as part of a nationwide effort to improve wildlife protection and highway safety.
Near the end of 2024, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) announced grants that included $1.7 million for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation to begin replacing a footbridge where the famous Appalachian Trail crosses Interstate 90 near the town of Becket.
According to the grant selection records, the new project "will offer separate and distinct areas for wildlife, pedestrians, and hikers and include fencing to help funnel wildlife to the crossings."
Known as the I-90 Mass Pike Appalachian Trail Pedestrian-Wildlife Shared Use Crossing, the new passageway will be designed to reduce accidents "in an area that sees a high number of collisions between drivers and deer," as local NBC affiliate WWLP reported.
The grant is slated to cover design and permitting for the project over I-90, which functions as the Massachusetts Turnpike or "Mass Pike" for the section running through the state.
Nationally, the FHWA awarded $125 million in grants for 16 crossings in 16 states through the Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program created by the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
The FHWA noted that more than 1 million vehicle collisions with wildlife are estimated to occur in the U.S. annually; WWLP reported 3,700 last year in Massachusetts alone. Crashes with large animals led to about 200 human deaths, 26,000 motorist injuries, and more than $10 billion in estimated costs annually, according to the administration.
Wildlife crossings help protect humans and animals by providing safe passage along common animal movement and migration routes. This can support the survival of threatened or endangered species, as the FHWA noted. And it gives animals a chance to adapt as environments change in a warming world, as detailed in a Pew Charitable Trusts report. Overpasses and tunnels also promote genetic diversity and prevent animal populations from becoming isolated on two sides of a major road.
Although the Mass Pike crossing will be the first of its kind in the state, according to WWLP, there are numerous projects to model after. A CBS News segment reported last year that about 1,500 such structures have been built. Some of the most prominent include a set in Banff National Park in Canada and other I-90 crossings in Washington state. A giant overpass is also in the works in Southern California.
|
Do you think America does a good job of protecting its natural beauty? Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. |
Definitely 👍 The projects winning grants in late 2024, including in Massachusetts, will use existing crossings to inform their own designs and improve safety for humans and animals.
"The projects moving forward in 16 states will reduce collisions between drivers and wildlife, create places for wildlife to safely move over and under highways, and help preserve American life and property," outgoing U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement.
Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
