According to state officials, the Oregon Department of Transportation will get $33 million in federal financing to build a wildlife crossing across Interstate 5 in southwest Oregon.
The first-of-its-kind highway bridge will link the 114,000-acre biologically diverse protected Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, which is divided by I-5 and located south of Ashland. Among the 300 species of birds, animals, reptiles, and amphibians that call the monument home are cougars, bears, elk, and deer.
The crossing will enhance animal mobility across the landscape and shield drivers from potentially hazardous wildlife collisions and vehicle damage, according to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
A wildlife corridor that used to exist naturally will be restored by the crossing. It expands upon a community-led initiative to develop a southern Oregon wildlife crossing network. According to public officials, the new bridge would rank among the biggest in the country when it is finished.
U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden of Oregon achieved the funding through the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act.
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