PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – The Oregon Department of Transportation has been awarded a $33 million federal grant greenlighting plans to build Oregon's first wildlife crossing over Interstate 5, officials announced Friday.

The grant -- from the Federal Highway Administration -- allows ODOT to build the Mariposa Preserve Wildlife Crossing within Southern Oregon's Cascade Siskiyou National Monument.

The project aims to reduce collisions between drivers and wildlife while restoring habitats that were disrupted by the interstate.

“With this significant investment of federal funding, ODOT can now provide a new connection for wildlife in an ecologically diverse area,” said ODOT Director Kris Strickler. “This will improve safety for drivers on I-5 by reducing wildlife collisions. I want to thank our federal partners for making this project possible by fully funding ODOT’s grant request.” 

The project will span the northbound and southbound lanes with fencing to guide wildlife to the structure, ODOT explained.

Once complete, the crossing will be among the largest in the United States, Sen. Merkley’s office said.

“What a huge win for Southern Oregon! This first-ever I-5 wildlife crossing in Oregon will be instrumental in safeguarding all the special species that call the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument home, while protecting drivers from dangerous wildlife collisions and costly damages to their vehicles,” said Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR.) “I’ve long championed efforts to strengthen the Cascade-Siskiyou area, and this latest federal investment I pushed to secure will certainly go a long way toward protecting drivers and the diverse wildlife that are entwined with this spectacular landscape that’s unlike anywhere in the world.” 

Along with the federal grant, the ODOT is providing over $3 million to the project, which comes from a $7 million funding allocation to wildlife corridors under Oregon House Bill 5202 in 2022.

Currently, Oregon has six wildlife undercrossings – including five under Highway 97 and one under Highway 20. Those undercrossings have led to an 86% decline in collisions between vehicles and wildlife, according to ODOT.

This comes as the average cost of a vehicle crash with a deer is $9,000 and $24,000 for a collision with an elk, officials said.

“Ensuring that native species have safe access across I-5 not only protects sensitive ecosystems affected by large roadways, but it also helps increase safety for motorists,” said Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR.) “This investment in wildlife crossing infrastructure that serves both the environment and Oregonians is exactly what I fought for in the Inflation Reduction Act, and I will continue to advocate for more resources that support these important projects across Oregon.”

Officials explained that the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument protects “a wealth of biodiversity” for wildlife, which are at risk as I-5 separates connectivity of the monument.

“This is going to be located in one of the most biodiverse areas of Oregon, and really one of the most biodiverse areas in the United States and will help wildlife move across the landscape to meet their daily and seasonal needs without the risk of injury or mortality from being struck by a vehicle,” ODOT Wildlife Connectivity Coordinator Rachel Wheat told KOIN 6 News.

“This habitat used to be intact. It's protected on both sides of the interstate, but it was severed when the interstate was constructed more than 50 years ago," Wheat added. "This overcrossing is going to allow a wide diversity of species ranging in size, from everything from rare and unique butterfly species all the way up to large-bodied species like deer and elk and cougar to safely cross over Interstate Five, not only reducing injury mortality of wildlife, but also improving safety for the traveling public as well."