U.S. Highway 89 Kanab-Paunsaugunt Wildlife Crossing and Existing Structures Research

The U.S. Highway 89 Kanab-Paunsaugunt Project was constructed in 2012-2013 to help reduce mule deer-vehicle collisions and provide connectivity for the Paunsaugunt Mule Deer herds and other wildlife in their north-south movements across the highway. Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) and partners placed 12.5 miles (20.1 km) of fence to guide wildlife to four existing structures and three new wildlife crossing culverts. The study used motion sensitive remote cameras to photograph wildlife at the structures and determine the success of each structure and the changes in mule deer movement around the fenced ends. From September 2013 through June 2018, the study cameras recorded 4.56 million photographs, 102,517 mule deer total movements at the seven structures, and 78,610 mule deer Success Movements through the seven structures. The overall Success Rate at all seven structures during the entire study was 77 percent. Six of the structures had mule deer Success Rates over 90 percent by year five of the study. Annual mule deer Success Movements through all seven structures steadily increased each year of the study. Mule deer movements around fence ends generally decreased. Mule deer Success Rate increased with increasing structure height, width, and openness ratio and decreased with increasing lengths. Before-After-Control-Impact (BACI) analyses of UDOT crash data determined there was good evidence that the wildlife crossing structures and wildlife exclusion fence had an effect on the crash rate within the mitigation section. The US 89 Kanab-Paunsaugunt project is one of the most successful mule deer mitigation projects in all of North America.

• Record URL:
  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Afa51pEELIcja5aKUqFla3m7dCjJUuGQ/view?usp=sharing
• 
• Record URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/63544
• Corporate Authors:

  Patricia Cramer

  609 N Montana Avenue
  Bozeman, MT  United States  59715

  Utah Department of Transportation

  4501 South 2700 West
  Salt Lake City, UT  United States  84114-8410

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Cramer, Patricia
  • Hamlin, Robert
• Publication Date: 2019-5

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Edition: Final Report
• Features: Appendices; Figures; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 88p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Animal vehicle crashes; Before and after studies; Culverts; Deer; Fences; Habitat (Ecology); Wildlife crossings
• Geographic Terms: Utah
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Design; Environment; Highways;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01721979
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: UT-19.19
• Files: NTL, TRIS, ATRI, USDOT, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Nov 5 2019 3:33PM