Elk movements associated with a high-traffic highway : Interstate 17.

Details

• Creators:
  Gagnon, Jeffrey W. ; Dodd, Norris L. ; Sprague, Scott C. ; Nelson, Rob ; Loberger, Chad ; Boe, Susan ; Schweinsburg, Raymond E.
• Corporate Creators:
  Arizona. Game and Fish Dept. Research Branch
• Corporate Contributors:
  United States. Federal Highway Administration
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  Animal Migrations Collisions Fences Global Positioning System Interstate Highways Traffic Volume Wildlife Wildlife Crossings
• Publication/ Report Number:
  FHWA-AZ-13-647
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  Arizona
• Corporate Publisher:
  Arizona. Department of Transportation
• Abstract:
  The authors evaluated wildlife-highway relationships from 2007 to 2010 along a 46-mi stretch of Interstate
  
  17 (I-17) in north-central Arizona (MP 294−340). This highway had an average annual daily traffic (AADT)
  
  volume of 16,100 vehicles/day during the study. The specific objectives of this research project were to:
  
   Assess elk movements, highway crossing patterns, and distribution, and determine permeability.
  
   Investigate spatial and temporal relationships of elk crossings and distribution to traffic volume.
  
   Investigate spatial and temporal wildlife-vehicle collision (WVC) patterns and traffic relationships.
  
   Investigate elk crossings and WVC in relation to riparian-meadow habitats.
  
   Develop recommendations to reduce WVC and promote highway permeability.
  
  The research team instrumented 71 elk (Cervus elaphus) with GPS receiver collars along I-17. Elk crossed
  
  the highway 912 times and had a mean passage rate of 0.09 crossings/approach. Compared to other Arizona
  
  highways with lower AADT, I-17 was a significant barrier to elk passage. Passage rates were significantly
  
  higher along stretches with wide medians and near the Munds Canyon Bridge. In total, 395 WVC were
  
  analyzed, and an average of 79.0 elk-vehicle collisions occurred each year. Traffic volume influenced elk
  
  distribution, permeability, and WVC patterns. Proximity to riparian-meadow habitats also influenced elk
  
  crossing, approach, and WVC locations. The team recommended 17 wildlife passage structures and
  
  ungulate-proof fencing along the length of I-17 to reduce WVC and promote permeability, largely validating
  
  the recommendations in the draft environmental assessment (DEA).
  
  
• Format:
  PDF
• Funding:
  SPR-PL-1(173) 647
• Collection(s):
  US Transportation Collection
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:778428cad2b93cee7eb9c3444a02c9826ffd68568a23b06c74b1112f7b81c9983260e7ee0dfae67d20c580154e6c9684397f3f1e57e6303d1daa9b142f1afc18
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/25867/dot_25867_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 2.81 MB ]