SAGINAW, Mich. – The Michigan Department of Transportation has secured a grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to fund a wildlife crossing analysis.
In September, MDOT announced their grant submission in partnership with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, aimed at identifying the most problematic wildlife crossings posing a risk for motorist safety on state trunklines.
MDOT has been awarded over $467,000 to fund the analysis, further streamlining efforts to improve motorist safety by reducing wildlife vehicle collisions.
This grant was awarded as part of the USDOT’s Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program, with the Federal Highway Administration announcing a total of $135 million in grant awards for 16 states for 2024 to 2025 fiscal year.
MDOT’s Bay Region has spent years tracking deer carcasses and traffic crash reports submitted by law enforcement to identify the locations and frequency of WVCs, with an end-goal to reduce crashes, improve motorist safety and protect at-risk species.
Moving forward, MDOT, MDNR and other state departments will turn over their existing wildlife vehicle collision data to a consultant team to begin the official wildlife hotspot analysis using the federal grant and a state match of over $116,800 to fund the study.
The hotspot analysis will identify the top 20 locations statewide responsible for repetitive wildlife vehicle collisions, allowing MDOT to work toward the ultimate goal of providing mitigation for this type of crash and protecting all Michiganders, including the wildlife.