Oregon Should Use Federal Infrastructure Funds for Wildlife Crossings (PDF)
Oregon Should Use Federal Funds for Wildlife Crossings
On Dec. 7, 2021, an expert from The Pew Charitable Trusts testified before the Oregon Transportation Commission and Department of Transportation on how the state should use the $1.2 billion in federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funds allocated for Oregon’s transportation system.
Pew recommended that the department provide at least $10 million of the funds—less than 1% of the total amount—to address wildlife-vehicle collision hot spots in the state.
The testimony highlighted the broad public support for wildlife crossing solutions, as well as the economic and public safety benefits.
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U.S. Highway 97 runs for nearly 670 miles through national forests, lava fields, and farmed valleys. The land is prime habitat for myriad species, including elk, mule deer, and pronghorn, that migrate between their summer and winter homes. That means that twice a year, hundreds of thousands of animals cross the busy road to reach their seasonal ranges.
Every spring, as they have for millennia, millions of animals in the American West—such as elk, pronghorn, and mule deer—journey from their winter grounds to cooler, more lush summer habitat to fatten up before fall.
Like most states in the American West, Oregon is renowned for wide open spaces, rugged terrain, and large populations of wildlife. Unfortunately, many animal species in the state have come under increasing threat in recent years because of habitat loss and fragmentation.
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, passed by Congress and signed into law earlier this month by President Joe Biden, means more than relief from potholes, congestion, and highways and bridges that are in desperate need of repair.
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