North Carolina lawmakers recently appropriated $2 million in funding for new infrastructure to help reduce wildlife–vehicle collisions across the state, WLOS-TV in Asheville reported Nov. 23.
The Safe Passage Fund Coalition applauded the action by the state's General Assembly, in honor of Road Safety Week, and noted that the money will go toward overpasses, underpasses and fencing along roads and highways to help keep wildlife and humans safe.
The coalition is made up individuals and organizations working toward creating a balance between the needs of wildlife and the ever-growing human population in east Tennessee and western North Carolina.
It includes local, state, tribal and federal agencies, land managers, conservation organizations, nonprofit park partners and other invested community members, all working in the region of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, according to information on the coalition's website.
"We are so grateful that the North Carolina General Assembly has prioritized funding to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions on Interstate 40 near the Smokies in Haywood County," Jeff Hunter, Southern Appalachian director of the National Parks Conservation Association, said in a written statement. "This is a win-win for wildlife and the motoring public. We are hopeful that this investment will help leverage federal dollars to address this issue statewide."
The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) will be able to address three of the 13 Interstate 40 projects recommended by the Safe Passage Fund Coalition. Combined with the five projects that are already funded, this would bring the number to eight of the 13 recommended.
According to a news release, NCDOT plans to use the majority of the $2 million for more wildlife fencing, planning and the construction of a mitigation project at Hurricane Creek in Haywood County. The remaining funds will be used to develop estimates and feasibility plans for two potential wildlife overpasses, one bridge replacement and two culvert replacements.
Wanda Payne, an NCDOT Division 14 engineer, said in a statement, "[We are] excited to receive this funding and to continue the development and delivery of these important projects for Haywood County and western North Carolina."
Many Wildlife Species Move Through I-40 Corridor
Among the land animals that roam the area around I-40 as it winds its way through the Great Smokies between Tennessee and North Carolina are American black bears, elk, bobcats, white-tailed deer, red foxes, woodchucks and coyotes. In addition, smaller species such as squirrels, timber rattlesnakes, raccoons, opossums, long-tailed weasels, skunks and Eastern box turtles also cross the highway, often resulting in their deaths.
"North Carolina's funding to support wildlife safe passage across roads will help provide habitat connectivity essential for the persistence of healthy wildlife populations, especially in the face of environmental changes that are increasingly transforming and fragmenting the landscape," said Ben Prater, a Safe Passage steering committee member and Southeast program director at Defenders of Wildlife, one of the coalition's member organizations.
NCDOT has finished installing wildlife accommodations around the nearby I-40/Harmon Den exit that include animal crossings on both sides of Cold Springs Creek, ungulate guards at all four ramps, and wildlife fencing around the interchange.
"Protecting wildlife from roadway collisions is critical for our infrastructure, the safety of motorists, natural ecosystems, and maintaining a positive image for North Carolina," said Tim Gestwicki, CEO of the North Carolina Wildlife Federation, and chair of the Safe Passage Fund Coalition's steering committee. "We are glad to see bipartisan support for this critically important work in our state."
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