COLUMBIA − The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) announced Tuesday a $320,000 grant to the Missouri Department of Transportation.
The grant will be used to conduct a year-long study identifying roadway locations where the most wildlife-vehicle collisions occur. The project intends to create a uniform method to integrate wildlife crossings into the pre-planning phases of future improvements.
Missouri is one of 17 states selected to receive funding in the first round of $110 million in grants for 19 wildlife crossing projects.
The funding comes from a new program in President Joe Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that supports projects to construct wildlife crossings over and below busy roads.
It is estimated that there are more than 1 million wildlife-vehicle collisions involving large animals that result in injuries to the driver and passengers in the United States each year, according to a press release. These collisions are estimated to cost the public more than $10 billion annually.
“Every year, too many Americans are injured or killed in crashes involving cars and wildlife, especially in rural areas, but President Biden is tackling this challenge through these first-ever roadway safety grants,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in the release.
Source: Komu News
