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.
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“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.