MARQUETTE — The Michigan Department of Transportation has secured a $467,367 federal grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation which aims to identify wildlife crossings around the state which pose the highest risk to motorist safety.

Michigan ranks fourth highest in the country in deer/vehicle crashes, averaging 55,000 incidents per year. The high number of accidents involving deer in the state is responsible for $130 million in damages. While deer are the leading cause of these accidents in the state, moose, elk, bear and wild turkeys also cause vehicular damage throughout the state. While non-deer incidents are not as high, the damage to not only vehicles, but those species well-being are also taken into consideration.

“We’re pleased the state has secured funding to undertake this innovative work in Michigan,” said Steve Chadwick, senior Great Lakes wetland advisor for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. “This grant has the potential to benefit at-risk species by helping them reach critical habitat, and to protect more common species as we seek to make roads safer for Michigan drivers.”

The Federal Highway Administration announced $135 million in grant awards for 16 states for fiscal year 2024-2025 as part of the USDOT’s Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program. In 2023, the USDOT awarded $110 million in funding for 17 states, and a total of 19 wildlife crossings. Awards included $24.4 million for Wyoming DOT to complete several crossings supporting migratory patterns for mule deer, pronghorn and other species.

MDOT’s Bay Region has spent years tracking deer carcasses and traffic crash reports submitted by law enforcement to identify the locations and frequency of WVCs, with an end-goal to reduce crashes, improve motorist safety and protect at-risk species. Moving forward MDOT, MDNR and other state departments will turn over their existing WVC data to a consultant team to begin the official wildlife hotspot analysis using the federal grant and a state match of $116,844 to fund the study. The hotspot analysis will identify the top 20 locations statewide responsible for repetitive WVCs, allowing MDOT to work toward the ultimate goal of providing WVC mitigation and protecting all Michiganders, including the wildlife variety.

“We’re going to look at locations identified by the analysis and first determine if there is existing infrastructure in place that can be retrofitted to accommodate wildlife passage,” said MDOT Bay Region Resource Specialist Amanda Novak. “If there is an existing bridge or culvert that can include space for wildlife, mitigation measures similar to those in other states can be added and can help us increase the number of wildlife crossings without a huge financial investment. Ultimately, we stand to gain by also incorporating what we learn into future design standards, so we’re active in our wildlife mitigation efforts, starting in the design phase of a road project.”

MDOT expects to issue a request for proposals this spring, beginning the process of hiring the team that will complete the final compilation of wildlife vehicle accidents.