Permeability of existing structures for terrestrial wildlife : a passage assessment system.

Details

• Alternative Title:
  Permeability of Existing Structures for Wildlife : A Passage Assessment System
• Creators:
  Kintsch, Julia ; Cramer, Patricia
• Corporate Contributors:
  Washington (State). Dept. of Transportation. Office of Research and Library Services ; United States. Federal Highway Administration
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  Bridges And Culverts Wildlife, Wildlife Crossing, Permeability, Connectivity, Retrofit, Bridge, Culvert Wildlife Crossings
• Publication/ Report Number:
  WA-RD 777.1
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  Washington
• Corporate Publisher:
  Washington (State). Dept. of Transportation. Office of Research and Library Services
• Abstract:
  "A Passage Assessment System (PAS) was developed to help the Washington Department of
  
  Transportation (WSDOT) evaluate existing transportation infrastructure for its ability to facilitate
  
  terrestrial wildlife movement from one side of a roadway to the other. The outcomes of this
  
  research provide mechanisms to allow transportation agencies to identify both opportunities and
  
  barriers to wildlife passage along roads. The PAS presented in this report provides an assessment
  
  process that differentiates – for different types of wildlife – between structures that are currently
  
  functional, those that could be enhanced to become more functional, and those that are not based on how the wildlife respond to roads and crossing structures. Structural Functional Classes
  
  were also defined to classify road infrastructure, such as bridges, culverts and pipes, to create a
  
  common understanding of terminology related to wildlife crossings. The field research was
  
  conducted for six months in six locations in central and western Washington with the objective of
  
  ascertaining which species of wildlife approached and used different types of structures. The PAS
  
  was then developed on the basis of these field data, research on wildlife use of crossings across
  
  North America, and the organization provided by the Species Movement Guilds and Structural
  
  Functional Classes. The PAS guides practitioners through a series of targeted questions designed
  
  to characterize a bridge or culvert relative to its potential to function as a wildlife passage for the
  
  full range of wildlife known to occur at a given site. The PAS is intended as an evaluation tool to
  
  ensure that biologists ask the right questions in the field and fully document the conditions that
  
  may affect passage functionality for the diversity of target species. By answering questions about
  
  the structure characteristics, vegetation, land use, roadway, barriers and fencing, the biologist will
  
  have a complete passage assessment including preliminary ideas for improving the structure,
  
  which can be further refined during the project planning and design processes. The PAS provides
  
  an effective mechanism for determining which structures are suitable for enhancements to
  
  improve their functionality as wildlife passages or, if no such enhancements are appropriate,
  
  identify structure replacement needs for improved highway permeability for wildlife. A Passage
  
  Enhancement toolbox is provided to complement the PAS and presents a number of infrastructure
  
  adjustments and maintenance actions that may be implemented to help wildlife better move
  
  through structures. This toolbox may be used to help guide users in developing site-specific
  
  recommendations.
  
  The Passage Assessment System supports timely inclusion of wildlife passage needs from the
  
  onset of highway corridor planning, project planning and design. It offers potential cost-savings
  
  and minimized project delays by identifying passage modifications that may be significantly less
  
  costly than new infrastructure. Where existing culverts and bridges can be shown to pass wildlife,
  
  it would help to reduce future construction costs for wildlife crossings in those areas and
  
  
• Format:
  PDF
• Collection(s):
  US Transportation Collection
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:4aafb147f7ba25ab458bd3861f14cd9383ac1e7bb90db21f16d6eebe022b54cf
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/23039/dot_23039_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 8.70 MB ]