Business View Civil & Municipal - May 2023

7 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 4, ISSUE 5 FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION LAUNCHES FIRST-EVER $350MWILDLIFE CROSSINGS GRANT PROGRAM OPENING L INES Source: americantownandcountry.com, Andy Castillo, First published April 6, 2023 Each year, more than one million American drivers collide with wildlife in the roadway, killing about 200 people. It’s a chronic problem, especially in rural areas, the federal government is seeking to address through a first-ever grant program of more than $350 million distributed over five years. The Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program, was created under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and makes grant funding available to states and communities to construct wildlife crossings over or below busy roads, add warning signs for drivers, acquire mapping and tracking tools, and other things, according to a statement from the Federal Highway Administration, which is overseeing the program “There are proven practices to prevent crashes between vehicles and wildlife, and with this investment, we’re going to take common sense steps to reduce collisions and make roads safer for rural and urban communities alike,” said Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt in the statement. Through the grant opportunity, “communities that may not previously have had access to funding for these critical projects can finally make roads safer while protecting wildlife and their movement corridors.”