Creating multi‐use highway structures with retrofitted fencing to reduce collisions with elk on Interstate 17 : final report.
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2016-07-01
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Edition:Final report
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Abstract:In Arizona, vehicle collisions with elk are costly and can be deadly. Dedicated wildlife crossing structures have proven effective for
elk elsewhere in Arizona. Planned highway reconstruction for Interstate 17 (I‐17) included such wildlife crossing structures, but
when construction was delayed, an alternative was developed: extending the height of right‐of‐way (ROW) fencing to funnel
wildlife underneath existing highway bridges and overpasses. After 5.9 mi of ROW fencing (between mileposts 316.8 and 322.7)
was extended to 8 ft high, this study evaluated its effectiveness in guiding elk to cross under two large bridges and the overpass
and underpass of two traffic interchanges (TIs).
Following the fencing retrofit, researchers documented a 97.5 percent reduction in elk‐vehicle collisions and an 88.9 percent
decrease in crashes coded “Animal_Wild_Game” by the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) along the 5.9‐mi segment of I‐
17. No increase in collisions was reported within the 1‐mi fence end segments or control areas. The researchers documented 217
percent and 54 percent increases in elk crossing under the Munds Canyon and Woods Canyon bridges, respectively, but no elk
use of the modified TIs (Fox Ranch Road and Schnebly Hill Road). Following the retrofit, fence maintenance costs did not increase
or exceed those of adjacent sections. Using the Huijser et al. (2009) estimated cost of $17,483 per elk‐vehicle collision, the
documented level of collision reduction will recoup retrofitting costs in less than five years. The findings indicate that fencing
retrofits can reduce wildlife‐vehicle collisions if given appropriate circumstances, such as adequate size and spacing of existing
highway structures.
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