There are numerous ecological, societal and economic benefits to wildlife overpass crossings. Cost is a critical limiting on why wildlife crossing structures are not more common. At the 2015 ICOET conference, McGuire et al. presented various cost reduction opportunities associated with the design and construction of wildlife overpass structures. The objective of this presentation is to build on the 2015 findings by presenting additional cost reduction opportunities by comparing the wildlife overpass experiences of North America and Europe.
Wildlife overpass crossings are used in both North America in Europe to reduce the negative impact of transportation networks on ecosystems. Europe has many more wildlife overpass crossings than North America, with many European countries having more wildlife overpass crossings than North America.
The focus of the presentation is to discuss the most cost and performance influential design and construction aspects. Areas of focus include:
Planning: Understanding the role of wildlife overpass structures, when owners use underpasses vs. overpasses, and how frequently they are used in various jurisdictions and landscapes.
Ecological Design Requirements: Understanding the ecological design requirement such as the minimum width of the crossing, sound and light protection, and vegetation requirements.
Superstructure Design Requirements: Understanding the variances in structure span and the structure's detailed design requirements such as end treatments, construction materials, live loading, durability requirements, waterproofing requirements and so on.
Construction Requirements: Understanding the variances in construction requirements and practices in various regions.
The presentation will conclude with standard recommendations intended to help practitioners make better informed wildlife overpass cost saving design decisions.