Nebraska gets $400,000 federal grant to improve road safety near wildlife crossings

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — The Nebraska Department of Transportation will receive a $400,000 grant to improve roadway safety and reduce collisions with wildlife.

The Federal Highway Administration announced its first round of grant awards on Tuesday, which included 16 other states.

Officials said the purpose of the grant is to conduct a study along Highway 71 to identify solutions for reducing collisions with big game species, including bighorn sheep.

“Every year, too many Americans are injured or killed in crashes involving cars and wildlife, especially in rural areas – but President Biden is tackling this challenge through these first-ever roadway safety grants,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a press release.  “The projects we’re funding today in 17 states will reduce collisions between drivers and wildlife and save American lives.”

Each year, it is estimated that there are more than one million wildlife-vehicle collisions in the U.S., according to the Federal Highway Administration.

The crashes resulted in around 200 deaths and 26,000 injuries to drivers and their passengers.

They also cost the public more than $10 billion annually due to loss of income, medical costs and property damage.

“We are pleased to announce the first round of grants under the Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program to projects that will significantly reduce the number of collisions between motorists and wildlife,” Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt said in the release. “These roadway safety investments will ensure that motorists and wildlife in Nebraska get to their destinations safely and are a win-win for safety and the environment.”

The funding is made possible by a new program in Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

The law supports projects to improve road safety by constructing wildlife crossings over and below busy roads, adding fencing and acquiring tracking and mapping tools.

Overall, officials said the law will provide states $350 million over five years under the Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program.

More information on the program can be found on the Federal Highway Administration’s website.