Highways are known to have ecological effects on various species of wildlife and their habitats. These effects include loss and fragmentation of wildlife habitat, increased mortality of species attempting to cross highway corridors, and the creation of barriers to wildlife movements and dispersal.

The presence of wildlife on roads can also pose safety hazards for motorists. Wildlife crossings are often proposed as the solution to these problems during the planning phases of projects involving construction of new highways or improvements to existing roads.

This was the case for the Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise (FTE) Suncoast Parkway 2 project, an approximately 26-mile, divided limited-access toll facility designed to increase capacity and ease traffic congestion in Hernando and Citrus counties in Florida. 

FTE contracted DRMP to design and permit the construction of a wildlife crossing and smaller crossings along the corridor connecting the state lands on either side of the Suncoast Parkway 2 alignment. DRMP will conduct pre- and post-construction studies to evaluate the effectiveness of the crossings.

Strategic Location

Several factors were evaluated in determining the location of this wildlife crossing, including: the presence of public lands, vegetative cover, topography, and structural design. 

The type of wildlife crossing that is constructed is a function of the species to be accommodated and highway design standards pertaining to safety, slope, and topography.

One of the essential elements in determining the location of a wildlife crossing was the presence of suitable habitat on either side of the crossing and the need for that land to be protected and managed in perpetuity. Should one side of the crossing be developed, the need for wildlife to cross at that location could be significantly reduced, or potentially render the structure useless.  For this reason, FTE chose to locate the crossing between the publicly owned lands of the Annuntteliga Hammock tract of the Withlacoochee State Forest and the Chassahowitzka Wildlife Management Area, along the Suncoast Parkway 2 alignment.

Crossings also work more effectively with highway fencing, strategically placed on one or both sides of the entrance to direct wildlife toward the crossing.

This has been an interesting project so far, and it will be fascinating to see if our wildlife crossings will continue to do what they are intended to do – significantly reduce the number of animal-related vehicle collisions and provide safe connectivity for wildlife and people. 

The Study

DRMP’s Environmental Services Division has partnered with Daniel J. Smith, Ph.D., a research scientist at the University of Central Florida’s (UCF) Department of Biology, to conduct an 11-month wildlife utilization study to assess the effectiveness of the Suncoast Parkway 2 wildlife crossing structure that began in August 2022.

This type of study uses treatment and control sites to fully evaluate the use and effectiveness of the constructed wildlife crossing. Treatment sites include the location of the constructed wildlife crossings and one site along the alignment where a wildlife crossing was not proposed. Control sites evaluate effects at a distance of at least 500 meters from the highway and crossings.

This plan comprises a stratified block design of nine total study sites that evaluate impacts on both sides of the highway. Using this approach, we plan to identify the diversity and abundance of species that presently occur within and adjacent to the constructed alignment.

Based on the key focal species identified by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), the primary focus of our evaluation is on select groups of mammals and herptiles, including the Florida Black Bear. We are using various methods to identify presence or absence of species using techniques that include capture-mark-recapture, track surveys, and camera traps. A description of proposed field techniques includes:

• Herp/small mammal trap arrays set up in three replicates that include three arrays each on the right-of-way at each of the two constructed wildlife crossings and one control site and at a minimum of 500 meters distance from each side of the road alignment
• Large snake surveys will be performed using large box traps and tortoise burrow inspections
• Track/scat surveys will be performed at each wildlife crossing and on select sections of forest roads, trails, and the powerline corridor for medium-large mammals
• Camera traps will be used at each wildlife crossing and on select sections of forest roads, trails, and the powerline corridor for medium-large mammals and turkey

Monitoring of this wildlife crossing will ultimately provide management with sound data for planning and design of future crossings. Properly designed and located wildlife crossings will decrease road-related mortality and increase in the frequency of highway crossings by focal species. Properly designed monitoring programs will assist with evaluating the effectiveness of the crossing and lead to a better understanding for the placement and types of wildlife crossing structures.