Enhancing Existing Isolated Underpasses With Fencing to Decrease Wildlife Crashes and Increase Habitat Connectivity

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of enhancing existing isolated underpasses with wildlife fencing. One mile of 8-ft-high wildlife fencing was added to a large bridge underpass and a large box culvert 5 mi apart on Virginia’s I-64. Effectiveness was determined by conducting a 2-year post-fencing camera monitoring study and comparing the findings with those from a 2-year pre-fencing study with regard to the frequency of deer-vehicle collisions (DVCs); the use of the underpasses by deer and other wildlife; and roadside deer activity. The study also used deer behavior and activity data to make comparisons among different fence end designs and jumpout designs applied at the study sites. The report is available from Virginia DOT at http://www.virginiadot.org/vtrc/main/online_reports/pdf/20-R28.pdf