YELLOWSTONE TO CODY RECONSTRUCTION PROJECT

This paper describes the proposed improvements to Highway 14/16/20, between Yellowstone National Park and Cody, Wyoming, by the Wyoming Department of Transportation. The Department has spent the last 6 years in the environmental document development and preliminary design. The first road phase is scheduled to begin construction in the summer of 1996. The existing road traverses year-long and crucial winter range for mule deer, elk, big horn sheep and moose. It also passes through important grizzly bear habitat. Numerous threatened and endangered species occupy the project study area. An important issue that has been raised by the resource agencies is the relation between increased vehicle speeds and wildlife mortalities. The Wyoming Department of Transportation believes that when a road is rebuilt to today's standards, providing 3.6 m lanes, at least 1.8 m shoulders, clear safety zone and improved horizontal and vertical alignment, wildlife mortalities will decrease. Even though vehicle speeds may increase, providing the additional width and improved alignment should mitigate the potential effects by providing the driver more sight distance and width to react to wildlife on the road. A study has been initiated to learn more about this theory. This paper includes a listing of mitigation measures that will be implemented to minimize wildlife impacts due to the road reconstruction and operation; a listing of mitigation measures that have been incorporated into the project to lessen vehicle related mortalities; and a discussion of the Snake River Canyon road reconstruction project, which is located in west central Wyoming.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Also published by Florida DOT as a paper in Fl-ER-58-96, "Trends in Addressing Transportation Related Wildlife Mortality: Proceedings of the Transportation Related Wildlife Mortality Seminar (June 1996).
• Corporate Authors:

  Florida Department of Transportation

  Haydon Burns Building, 605 Suwanee Street
  Tallahassee, FL  United States  32301

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Bonds, B
• Conference:
  • Transportation and Wildlife: Reducing Wildlife Mortality and Improving Wildlife Passageways Across Transportation Corridors
  • Location: Orlando, Florida
  • Date: 1996-4-30 to 1996-5-2
• Publication Date: 1996-8

Language

• English

Media Info

• Pagination: p. 108-115

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Alignment; Endangered species; Environmental impact analysis; Fatalities; Habitat (Ecology); Highway design; Highways; Improvements; Motor vehicles; Reconstruction; Speed; Traffic mitigation; Traffic speed; Wildlife
• Uncontrolled Terms: Mortality
• Geographic Terms: Wyoming; Yellowstone National Park
• Old TRIS Terms: Cody (Wyoming); Snake river canyon (Wyoming)
• Subject Areas: Design; Environment; Highways; Planning and Forecasting; I21: Planning of Transport Infrastructure;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00745659
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: FHWA-PD-96-041
• Files: TRIS, USDOT, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Jan 30 1998 12:00AM