Wildlife Crossings Program

Colleen Fletcher, Federal Highway Administration

Background

Congress found that there are more than 1,000,000 WVCs annually 

which present a danger to human safety, cost over $8 billion, and result 

in approximately tens of thousands of serious injuries and hundreds of 

fatalities on U.S. roadways. In addition, Congress found that WVCs pose 

a danger to wildlife survival and are a major threat to the survival of 

species.

Wildlife Crossings Program Components:

▪ Discretionary Grant Pilot Program (23 U.S.C.§ 171) 

▪ Also called the Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program (WCPP)

▪ Provides competitive grants for projects that aim to reduce WVCs and 

improve habitat connectivity for terrestrial and aquatic species

▪ $350 million total available for fiscal years 2022-2026 for construction 

and non-construction projects

▪ Eligible applicants: State DOT; MPO; local government; regional 

transportation authority; special purpose district or public authority 

with a transportation function; Indian Tribe; or FLMA

▪ Best Practices Study and Report (23 U.S.C. § 172(a))

▪ FHWA will conduct a study of the state of practice of methods to 

reduce WVCs and to improve habitat connectivity and submit a report 

to Congress on the results of the study

▪ Guidance for Statewide Transportation and Wildlife Action Plans 

(23 U.S.C. § 172(a)(3)(B)(iv))

▪ FHWA will provide guidance for developing a voluntary joint Statewide 

Transportation and Wildlife Action Plan, consulting with FLMAs, State 

DOTs, State fish and wildlife agencies, and Tribal governments that 

agree to participate in the development of the guidance

▪ Collision and Carcass Data Methodology (23 U.S.C. § 172(c)(1))

▪ FHWA will develop standardized methodology for collecting and 

reporting spatially accurate wildlife collision and carcass data for the 

National Highway System

▪ Collision and Carcass Data Template and Implementation (23 

U.S.C. § 172(c)(2))

▪ FHWA will develop a template for State implementation of a 

standardized national wildlife collision and carcass data system and 

encourage voluntary implementation of the template

▪ National Mitigation Threshold Guidance (23 U.S.C. § 172(d)) 

▪ FHWA will establish guidance containing a threshold for determining 

whether a highway must be evaluated for potential mitigation 

measures to reduce WVCs and increase habitat connectivity

▪ Bridge and Tunnel Inspection Standards and Training (23 

U.S.C. § 144(b)(6))

▪ FHWA will determine if replacement or rehabilitation of bridges and 

tunnels should include measures for safe passage for terrestrial and 

aquatic species

▪ Workforce Development and Technical Training (23 U.S.C. §

172(b))

▪ FHWA will develop a series of in-person and online workforce 

development and technical training courses to reduce WVCs and 

improve habitat connectivity

Wildlife Crossings Program Contacts

Colleen Fletcher, National Program Manager

FHWA Office of Federal Lands Highway

202-336-4369

Colleen.Fletcher@dot.gov

Dan Buford, Ecologist

FHWA Office of Project Development and Environmental Review

202-366-8168

Daniel.Buford@dot.gov

Brian Yanchik, Lead Ecologist

FHWA Resource Center

410-218-4454

Brian.Yanchik@dot.gov

For more information:

Website Link:

https://highways.dot.gov/federal-lands/programs/wildlife-crossings

Email: wildlifecrossings@dot.gov

▪ Wildlife Crossing Design Standards (23 U.S.C. § 109(c)(2)(F))

▪ FHWA will consider “Wildlife Crossing Structure Handbook: Design 

and Evaluation in North America” (2011) in developing Design 

Criteria for the National Highway System (NHS)

▪ Wildlife Crash Safety Research Priorities

▪ FHWA must include a representative from a wildlife, land use, or 

resource management agency in the Advisory Committee (23 

U.S.C. § 515(h)(2)(D)), and prioritize projects that enhance safety 

through improved crash notification, avoidance and 

protection, vehicle operations, and safety systems, including animal 

detection systems to reduce the number of WVCs (23 U.S.C. §

516(b)(6)).