WILDLIFE CROSSING DESIGNS AND USE BY FLORIDA PANTHERS AND OTHER WILDLIFE IN SOUTHWEST FLORIDA

This paper reports the results of a study of two designs of underpasses which were placed to mitigate road kills of the endangered Florida panther. When State Road 84 was converted to Interstate 75, 24 wildlife underpasses were placed at locations identified as panther crossings. Use of these underpasses was encouraged by erecting a 3.4 m chain-link fence topped with 3 strands of outrigged barbed wire along the 65 km stretch of interstate that runs through panther habitat. The second wildlife crossing design was developed for State Road 29, a 2-lane highway running through panther habitat, and was installed at 2 critical areas. Both designs have been used by Florida panthers and a host of other animal species. Because both designs were used by a variety of wildlife species, including Florida panthers, it is felt that the design is of less importance than their location. It appears that either wildlife crossing design will be successful when placed at sites where animals habitually cross.

• 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:
  • Land, D
  • Lotz, M
• 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

• Features: Figures; References;
• Pagination: p. 323-328

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Design; Fatalities; Location; Traffic mitigation; Underpasses; Wildlife
• Uncontrolled Terms: Mitigation; Mortality
• Geographic Terms: Florida
• Old TRIS Terms: Panthers
• Subject Areas: Design; Environment; Highways; Planning and Forecasting; I21: Planning of Transport Infrastructure;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00745676
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: FHWA-PD-96-041
• Files: TRIS, USDOT, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Feb 3 1998 12:00AM