USDOT announces grant opportunities for Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program

Members encouraged to help spread the word about lifesaving program

Funding information is now available for the U.S. Department of Transportation’s new Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program, which was approved within the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act (IIJA).

The Notice of Funding Opportunities was posted Tuesday and gives details on applying for these grants, which are open to state departments of transportation (DOTs), metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), local governments, regional transportation authorities, special purpose districts, public authorities with a transportation function, Indian tribes and federal land management agencies (FLMAs).

“Every tool that can be used to help save lives on the nation’s roads is important in our effort to move Toward Zero Deaths,” ATSSA President & CEO Stacy Tetschner said. “We encourage our members to help spread the word to their contacts in organizations that are eligible to apply for this new opportunity.”

Grant applications are due by Aug. 1. The IIJA authorized $350 million for fiscal years 2022 through 2026 with $111 million in grants available through the first round of awards funding this year.

“The primary goals of the [Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program] are to save lives, prevent serious injuries and protect motorists and wildlife by reducing wildlife-vehicle collisions and improve habitat connectivity for terrestrial and aquatic species,” the USDOT states in the funding notice. “Reduction of wildlife vehicle collisions and improvement of terrestrial and aquatic habitat connectivity are the primary merit criteria that will be used in reviewing applications, and each of the primary merit criteria are of equal importance,” the notice also states.

The program was established to address the more than 1 million wildlife-vehicle collisions annually that kill hundreds of people and result in thousands of serious injuries.

USDOT published its National Roadway Safety Strategy in January 2022, which states that “zero is the only acceptable number of deaths and serious injuries on our roadways.”