Animal Overpasses Proposed for Santa Clara Freeway
You've heard of bridges for cars and pedestrians, but how about wildlife? Well, conservationists in Santa Clara County say animal crossings are needed to keep critters from ending up as road kill on Highway 101.
Highway 101 cuts across what scientists have discovered is a natural corridor for all kinds of wildlife, including bobcats, coyotes, raccoons and rabbits. Click to Listen
Podcast
Julie Phillips, chair of the environmental studies department at De Anza College, says many those animals are traversing under the multi-lane highway through culverts but others try and run across, often with tragic results.
"We're dividing up habitat for wildlife, and our roads and highways really fragment habitat, so our job is to look at how animals can move more smoothly across, or over, or under these roads," said Phillips.
The solution, says Phillips, are animal crossings, basically freeway overpasses for wildlife.
"It would have natural vegetation, and fencing along the road so that the wildlife is directed over those overpasses," said Phillips.
Phase two of the still unfunded project will begin this fall.
