Wildlife

Federal grant will fund I-17 wildlife overpass near Flagstaff

Federal grant will fund I-17 wildlife overpass near Flagstaff

Federal grant will fund I-17 wildlife overpass near Flagstaff

December 4, 2023

Award of $24 million comes from Federal Highway Administration

PHOENIX – The Federal Highway Administration has awarded Arizona a $24 million grant for a wildlife overpass and other improvements designed to reduce crashes involving wildlife and better connect habitats along Interstate 17 south of Flagstaff in northern Arizona.

The Arizona Department of Transportation, in partnership with the Arizona Game and Fish Department, sought the grant through FHWA’s Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program for improvements along 8.4 miles of I-17 between the Munds Park traffic interchange, about 25 miles south of Flagstaff, and the Kelly Canyon traffic interchange to the north.

“I am grateful to the Federal Highway Administration for supporting Arizona’s commitment to protecting its residents, visitors and wildlife,” Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs said. “Many drivers use I-17 as a gateway to some of Arizona’s most popular treasures, including the Grand Canyon. While helping keep those travelers safe, this project will support elk, deer and other wildlife that make Arizona so special.”

The I-17 wildlife project is one of 19 nationally to receive funding through the first round of $110 million in grants from FHWA.

“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,” said Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt, who traveled to Arizona to make the announcement at Sunset Point along I-17. “These roadway safety investments will ensure that motorists and wildlife in Arizona get to their destinations safely and are a win-win for safety and the environment.”

In addition to the I-17 wildlife overpass, which is planned for milepost 327.4 in the Willard Springs area, the project also will include new 8-foot-tall wildlife fencing tying into existing culverts, ramps to help wildlife escape fenced areas and double cattle guards at interchanges. It will connect with a Game and Fish project that will retrofit wildlife fencing along 6 miles of I-17 south from Munds Park that directs wildlife to two existing large bridges. The nearly 15 miles covered by these two safety projects accounted for 58% of crashes involving wildlife between 2018 and 2022 between Stoneman Lake Road and Flagstaff. In this 31.7-mile stretch, around three-quarters of all crashes between vehicles and wildlife involve elk, which can weigh up to 1,100 pounds.

The area between Munds Park and Kelly Canyon is one of three priority areas proposed by the state for new wildlife overpasses because of higher potential for collisions involving wildlife, particularly elk and deer. The other interstate freeway locations identified as potential sites for wildlife overpasses are I-17 near the Kachina Boulevard interchange, about 6 miles south of Flagstaff, and Interstate 40 west of Parks. ADOT and its partners continue to seek funding for projects at the other two priority sites.

Identified by the federal, state and Coconino County governments as a high priority corridor for elk movement, the 8.4 miles of I-17 through the Willard Springs area currently has no bridges and only one road culvert suitable for use by elk and deer. The wildlife overpass will be 100 feet wide designed for use by elk, deer, foxes, coyotes, bobcats, black bears, mountain lions and smaller animals.

A projected start date will be determined in the coming months. The project will require completion of final design, including environmental review, project programming and other required steps. This process will be initiated due to the federal grant.

In 2015, FHWA awarded ADOT, the Arizona Game and Fish Department and other partners its Environmental Excellence Award for Excellence in Environmental Leadership for numerous efforts to reduce conflicts between vehicles and wildlife while connecting habitats.

“ADOT has a rich history of coordinating with the Arizona Game and Fish Department and other partners on projects that promote safety for both motorists and wildlife,” ADOT Director Jennifer Toth said. “This grant will advance these efforts in a critical corridor for recreational and commercial travel while helping elk, deer and other creatures whose habitats span northern Arizona.”

For the project funded by the Federal Highway Administration grant, Game and Fish has committed $1.5 million in matching funds along with $750,000 toward project design. Game and Fish also received a $1 million America the Beautiful Challenge grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation that, along with $387,000 in matching funds, will be used for the fence retrofit along I-17 south from Munds Park.

“As Arizona continues to grow, crossing structures such as wildlife overpasses and underpasses will have the dual benefit of reducing wildlife-vehicle collisions for public safety while also connecting fragmented habitats, allowing wildlife to access vital resources, preserving migratory routes, and maintaining genetic diversity,” said Arizona Game and Fish Department Director Ty Gray. “We’re grateful to the Federal Highway Administration and our sister state agency, the Arizona Department of Transportation, for this opportunity to help ensure a wildlife legacy for future generations.”

Other notable collaborations between ADOT, Arizona Game and Fish Department and partners including the U.S. Forest Service and Regional Transportation Authority in Pima County include:

A reconstruction of 17 miles of US 93 in far northwestern Arizona featuring three wildlife overpasses and two bridged underpasses in desert bighorn sheep habitat, complemented by three underpasses on State Route 68 between Bullhead City and Golden Valley.
A system of crossing and fencing on SR 260 east of Payson designed to reduce crashes involving elk and deer.
A 6-mile reconstruction of SR 77 (Oracle Road) north of Tucson that included an overpass and underpass connecting wildlife habitats in the Santa Catalina and Tortolita mountains.
Two wildlife underpasses and 6 miles of fencing added to SR 86 between Tucson and Sells.

Pit stops for pollinators bring native plants to Arizona highways

Pit stops for pollinators bring native plants to Arizona highways

Pit stops for pollinators bring native plants to Arizona highways

By Mary Currie / ADOT Communications

November 9, 2023

A hummingbird visits a purple flower in a field.

Did you know that ADOT helps to grow new plants by planting the seeds of native plants along state highways? Biologist Alexa Lopezlira told us that ADOT gets rid of unwanted, invasive plants along roadsides to help maintain and encourage growth of native plants.

Two butterflies near flowers. — Photos courtesy Louise Garcia

“When highway construction projects are complete, then it is time to seed the soil with vegetation that thrive in Arizona and make our desert landscape look beautiful,” Lopezlira said, “these plants make a great pit stop for our busy, flying friends.”

Desert plants depend on pollinators of all shapes and sizes to visit flowers and move pollen. A pollinator is an animal, insect, or bird that helps plants make fruit or seeds by eating nectar from flowers. By doing this, the pollinators rub pollen onto their heads or backs and carry it from one plant and to another, fertilizing plants in the process. Pollen is the secret ingredient to helping more plants grow.

One well-known pollinator is the monarch butterfly. ADOT is a supporter and collaborator of a conservation program known as the Monarch Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances. “What our involvement means,” Lopezlira says, “is ADOT will be planting and managing butterfly-friendly habitat along roadsides to help monarch butterflies during migration, and help ensure future populations of monarchs thrive.”

Pollinators come in all shapes and sizes, but the most efficient pollinators are almost always critters that can fly fast and can get into small spots that are hard to reach! Arizona’s top five favorite pollinators are hummingbirds, bees, moths, butterflies, and bats. Each of these winged creatures plays a unique role in pollination by visiting plants and flowers most suited to their ability to extract nectar.

Hummingbirds excel at sipping nectar from long tubular shaped flowers easily accessed with their slender beaks, while bees are attracted to cup-shaped flowers suited for shorter bee-tongues. Moths and butterflies don’t have noses, so they use long, fuzzy appendages on their heads, called antennae, to smell for food on their favorite star or trumpet-shaped flowers.

A lesser-known pollinator is the lesser long-nosed bat, which is best suited to pollinating plants and cactus flowers that bloom only at night when bats are most active.

In this matching activity created for ADOT Kids, click here to try your skill at matching pollinators to the plants they like to visit most.

If you like this, please visit ADOT Kids for all sorts of educational stories, activities and videos that will make you smile.

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How ADOT works with desert tortoises

How ADOT works with desert tortoises

How ADOT works with desert tortoises

By Mary Currie / ADOT Communications

July 17, 2023

A desert tortoise eats a shrub in the desert. Saguaro cactuses are in the background.

We’re talking tortoises today at the Arizona Department of Transportation.

Did you know that ADOT helps support tortoise populations by paying attention to where these shelled reptiles may burrow near highways. Our biologists follow steps to help protect them, like building fences to keep them off the roads and guide them to places to cross safely.

Before highway construction projects begin, environmental specialists survey the area to identify tortoises that may be living there. Construction and maintenance workers are trained to look for tortoises, too. See how ADOT works as an environmental steward in this video.

ADOT’s Biology Team Lead Joshua Fife began as a college intern working with desert tortoises. He spent the majority of his time training with two experienced biologists conducting long-term projects monitoring desert tortoises. One of the projects studied tortoise movement along US 93 north of Wickenburg for ADOT, and that led to his career with us.

Fife said, “Desert tortoises became very important to me, and It means a lot to me that ADOT is a part of desert tortoise conservation. Desert tortoises are truly amazing creatures, and we want to make sure they are around for many generations to come.”

Managing wildlife along the state highway system is a partnership between ADOT, the Arizona Game and Fish Department and others whose work helps tortoises thrive next to busy roadways. Click here to learn about desert tortoises.

If you liked this, ADOT Kids has all sorts of educational stories, activities and videos to interest kids and adults this summer — and don’t miss the color-by-numbers activity we created to make you smile.

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ADOT, NAU biologists work to protect endangered species while improving Verde River bridges

ADOT, NAU biologists work to protect endangered species while improving Verde River bridges

ADOT, NAU biologists work to protect endangered species while improving Verde River bridges

By Ryan Harding / ADOT Communications

April 4, 2022

As you drive through the Verde Valley on Interstate 17, you won’t notice any construction work as you cross over the Verde River. But down below the highway, crews are working in the river bed to reinforce the footings of the Verde River Bridges to prevent erosion.

But there’s more going on than just construction work. Because that work is taking place in an area that is home to several endangered species, including snakes, birds and fish, biology teams work alongside construction crews to find and relocate these species.

This team of biomonitors from Northern Arizona University is led by Dr. Erika Nowak, assistant research professor in the Center for Adaptable Western Landscapes and director of the NAU Gartersnake Research Program.

Their purpose is to ensure that these species are protected as best they can be, given the construction activities. These species include the northern Mexican gartersnake, birds such as the yellow-billed cuckoo and the southwestern willow flycatcher, and endangered fish like the razorback sucker and spikedace.

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Specifically, the team trains construction workers and project team members on identifying these species and what to do if they come across one. They will also watch construction activity and help ensure that any species are safely removed out of harm’s way.

Because the work is in the river bed, crews built earthen bypass channels to contain river flow so crews can work outside of the area safely. For this team, it means that the biomonitors will remove all fish from pools that need to be filled in and rescue fish stranded during river moving events.

So what does the biology team do with these captured creatures? The team will identify the species as well as photograph and measure them. The northern Mexican gartersnakes are microchipped. And then, they are released. Fish and amphibian tadpoles are released into the Verde River downstream of the construction area.

“The relocation distance varies, but it’s typically about 50-150 yards from the capture point. We don’t want to release the animals too far away, as moving them out of their home range can disrupt their behavior, cause them to become disoriented, and thus more likely to die,” Nowak said.

You can learn more about the NAU biology team led by Dr. Nowak and their research on northern Mexican gartersnakes here.

The project to protect the I-17 Verde River Bridge footings is set to be completed later this spring. Learn more about the project itself here.

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From the Director: Avoid deer in the headlights, literally

From the Director: Avoid deer in the headlights, literally

From the Director: Avoid deer in the headlights, literally

July 4, 2018

Crash

By John Halikowski / ADOT Director

I am sure you have heard the expression “deer in the headlights” when describing someone who stares and has a frightened look on their face. At the Arizona Department of Transportation, we are alerting drivers to be on the lookout for “deer in the headlights,” literally, on our rural roadways.

Since 2012, more collisions with animals – wildlife, livestock, and family pets – happen this time of year than nearly every other, except for October which sees the most. More than 86 percent of crashes involving animals occur in rural areas.

According to the Arizona Game and Fish Department, the higher-than-average number of wildlife-related crashes this time of year is likely related to the beginning of monsoon season. That means plants become greener and water becomes more available due to the rain. Wildlife will travel greater distances for food and water and that can mean crossing roadways. Coincidentally, we see more motorists traveling to Arizona’s high country and with that the potential for collisions with wildlife.

At ADOT we have implemented some creative solutions that promote safe travel in heavily-traveled migratory corridors. For example, we have wildlife underpasses and elk crossings along State Route 260 east of Payson, desert bighorn sheep overpasses near Hoover Dam on US 93 and two wildlife crossing structures on State Route 77 near Tucson. We have seen a 98 percent reduction in the number of elk-vehicle collisions on SR 260 over a six-year period due to fencing that link the three elk crossings.

As you travel on our rural highways, please pay attention to the signs that indicate wildlife in the area, obey the speed limit, wear your seat belts, and pay attention to the shoulders on the roadways. You will reduce the chance of colliding with an animal.

Enjoy your summer travels and avoid having your own “deer in the headlights” moment.

This post originally appeared on ADOT Director John Halikowski's
LinkedIn page. He has led the agency since 2009.

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Look out for wildlife when traveling in Arizona’s high country

Look out for wildlife when traveling in Arizona’s high country

Look out for wildlife when traveling in Arizona’s high country

June 12, 2018

PHOENIX – It’s a traffic call heard too often this time of year inside the control room at the Arizona Department of Transportation’s Traffic Operations Center: “Car versus deer.”

From sunset to sunup, it’s not uncommon for a dozen vehicle strikes with deer, as well as antelope, elk, bear and other animals, to occur during a single evening as wildlife cross rural roadways. In fact, since 2012, more collisions with animals – wildlife, livestock and family pets – happen in June than nearly every other month – October sees the most. Annually, more than 80 percent of animal-related crashes are with wildlife and 86 percent of crashes involving animals occur in rural areas.

According to the Arizona Game and Fish Department, the higher-than-average number of wildlife-related crashes in June is likely related to the beginning of monsoon season, which translates into a “green up” of plants and provides more available water, allowing wildlife to travel greater distances and forage. It also coincides with more motorists traveling to Arizona’s high country, meaning more vehicles on roadways.

In some of the most heavily-traveled migratory corridors, ADOT has implemented creative solutions that promote safe travel, while protecting wildlife and connecting ecosystems. These projects include wildlife underpasses and elk crossings along State Route 260 east of Payson, desert bighorn sheep overpasses near Hoover Dam on US 93 and two wildlife crossing structures on State Route 77 near Tucson.

Partnering with AZGFD, these efforts have increased vehicle-travel safety, while preserving and protecting wildlife. For example, a fencing project linking three existing crossing structures on SR 260 reduced elk-vehicle collisions by 98 percent over a six-year span.

When traveling in rural areas, drivers are encouraged to pay heed to signs indicating areas where wildlife is prone to cross roadways. Obeying the speed limit and paying attention to the shoulders of roadways will also reduce the chance of crashing into an animal. AZGFD advises:

Deer are most active in early mornings and evenings.
If you see one animal there are probably more, so slow down.
Typically, you should not swerve to avoid hitting the animal. Stay in your lane and firmly brake.
However, if it is a very large animal and there is no oncoming traffic and the shoulder is safe on either side of the road, it may be safer to swerve rather than risk the impact from a large animal, like a cow, horse or adult bull elk.

Following crashes with wildlife (81.7 percent), livestock is the next most common at 13.6 percent. Family pets in urban areas make up 1.9 percent of crashes involving animals.

A visit from Rocky helps mark milestone for Ina Road/I-10 project

A visit from Rocky helps mark milestone for Ina Road/I-10 project

A visit from Rocky helps mark milestone for Ina Road/I-10 project

November 8, 2017

Crews are making progress at Ina and I-10! They have poured the bridge deck that will take Ina Road over I-10. Get the latest project updates here: https://t.co/3l2so5JEcn pic.twitter.com/tvVgfL22TU
— Arizona DOT (@ArizonaDOT) November 8, 2017

By Tom Herrmann / ADOT Communications

Everything was in place. The truck with 70 yards of hose to hoist concrete from the trucks on the ground to the new bridge that will carry Ina Road over Interstate 10. Rebar to hold the cement in place. The roller screed that would smooth out the surface. Even the rolling platform that experienced tradesmen would use to spray curing compound on the surface.

Just one very small problem: Rocky the Ringtail.

You remember Rocky. It’s his picture on the Arizona driver license that was redesigned in 2014. We held a contest to name him and you chose the name suggested by Rory of Peoria, who at the time was just 7 years old.

We hadn’t seen Rocky for a while until he turned up Tuesday morning, all warm and cozy under the lattice of rebar that is to become the surface of the new bridge. Unfortunately, Rocky’s hideaway was about to be covered in concrete.

As soon as some engineers explained what was happening, Rocky packed his things, waved goodbye and moved on. The last we saw him, he ran down the embankment, across the future lanes of eastbound I-10 and off into the desert.

Rocky should have known we were coming. The Ina Road project – adding a lane in each direction on both I-10 and Ina, building a bridge to carry Ina over I-10 and the railroad tracks and new bridges over the Santa Cruz River – has remained on schedule since it began back in February. We’re on track to finish on time in early 2019.

It’s a good thing our friend kept running. Those new lanes on I-10 will begin taking traffic in about five weeks.

See you next time, Rocky. Take care of yourself.

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A tale fit for Halloween: ADOT’s bat man to the rescue

A tale fit for Halloween: ADOT’s bat man to the rescue

A tale fit for Halloween: ADOT’s bat man to the rescue

October 31, 2016

Lesser long-nosed bat

By Tom Herrmann / ADOT Communications

Just in time for Halloween, we have a not-so-scary tale of bats, a bridge project and an ADOT biologist.

It begins a day or so after Labor Day, just before crews are to start rebuilding the State Route 92 bridge over the San Pedro River between Sierra Vista and Bisbee, Arizona Department of Transportation crews make one last check under the bridge to be sure we're good to go.

We were not. Two lesser long-nosed bats had made a temporary home under the bridge. The photo above shows them in their perch.

The bats are an endangered species, which means we had to stop most work to avoid disturbing them. Most of the time, these migratory bats head to Mexico and farther south well before Labor Day, but our friends decided to hang out a little longer in southern Arizona.

ADOT and the Federal Highway Administration, in consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, decided it would be best to wait until cooler weather encouraged the bats to move on. Our best estimate for that to happen was mid-November.

Enter Josh Fife, a biologist with ADOT Environmental Planning who made several visits to the remote, 61-year-old bridge to check on the bats. The other day, he noticed that they appeared to have flown on. After three straight bat-free days, he gave the OK for work to resume.

In addition to protecting the bats, Fife's checks saved a month of delays on the project, which is expected to be complete by early summer, and the costs associated with waiting.

As Bill Harmon, ADOT’s district engineer for southeast Arizona, put it, “Josh batted 1.000 on this one.”

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Arizona Highways shows off its wild side in latest book

Arizona Highways shows off its wild side in latest book

Arizona Highways shows off its wild side in latest book

June 17, 2016

Arizona Wildlife Guide

By Caroline Carpenter / ADOT Communications

If you enjoy receiving your Arizona Highways magazine in your mailbox each month – and even if you aren't a subscriber yet – you should check out the publication's coffee table books and guides. The Arizona Highways Wildlife Guide just came out, and it documents 125 native species in full-color photography with informative descriptions, conveniently organized by animal type.

Arizona-based naturalist Brooke Bessesen, who wrote the guide, is a Phoenix Zoo veterinary technician and scientific writer.

The guide is available at ArizonaHighways.com now. You can also pick up the book beginning June 30 at Costco, Barnes & Noble, Changing Hands Bookstore, and Amazon.com.

Did you know that Arizona Highways, a publication of the Arizona Department of Transportation, publishes more than 20 books? They include:

Arizona Highways 100 Greatest Photographs is a full-color, hardcover book featuring 208 pages of the best photographs to ever appear in Arizona Highways magazine.

100 Greatest Photographs to ever appear in Arizona Highways Magazine

Outdoor lovers can find their next adventure in the Arizona Highways Hiking Guide or the Arizona Highways Camping Guide.

Arizona Hiking and Camping Guides

There's even a book for the kids. Arizona Highways Backpacks of the Grand Canyon takes your children through the canyon, helping them identify unique plants and animals along the way.

Zackary Z. Packrat: Backpacks the Grand Canyon, by Brooke Bessesen

In addition to books, the Arizona Highways store also offers everything from holiday cards to dinner mugs and even socks printed with scenes from the Southwest.

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Oracle Road project benefits wildlife, motorists and cyclists

Oracle Road project benefits wildlife, motorists and cyclists

Oracle Road project benefits wildlife, motorists and cyclists

June 2, 2016

State Route 77 (Oracle Road)

By Caroline Carpenter / ADOT Communications

The State Route 77 (Oracle Road) project west of Mt. Lemmon not only adds travel lanes for drivers but has something for bicyclists and wildlife. The six-mile long construction runs from Tangerine Road to the Pinal County line. The $33.9 million project will be completely paved and striped this summer. Here's a rundown:

Improvements for cyclists

Improvements include an additional 12-foot-wide travel lane in each direction, making the road six lanes across. Ten-foot-wide shoulders (7-feet-wide with curb in Catalina) have been added to allow bicyclists to use the wider shoulders and the new shared-used path on the east side of Oracle Road from Wilds Road to Eagle Crest Ranch Boulevard.

Wildlife crossings

The first wildlife overpass structure in southern Arizona has been constructed as part of this project to allow wildlife to migrate safely between the Santa Catalina and Tortolita mountains. It is located south of Wilds Road. A wildlife underpass was also built south of North Big Wash Overlook Drive. The Regional Transportation Authority funded both wildlife crossings.

Additional SR 77 improvements

There are several other improvements motorists along this stretch of road will notice:

Raised-center medians and left-turn lanes in the Catalina area
Retaining walls Sound barriers
Traffic signal improvements
Drainage improvements

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