The New Jersey Bats in Bridges program is a cooperative effort between the US Fish and Wildlife Service New Jersey Field Office, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Endangered and Non-game Species Program, and the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT). NJDOT is conducting bat surveys to determine bat occupancy in bridges which are slated for maintenance during the summer roosting season.
In this session, we will discuss the bat surveys conducted to support one of NJDOT’s 2022 maintenance contracts, which included 40 structures located throughout the southern half of the state. These structures are situated over busy roadways, railroad tracks, and waterways small and large. Quick turnaround, due to budget requirements, necessitated that the bridges be inspected in one month’s time. This required an orchestration of efforts between a team of biologists, traffic engineers, traffic control crew, and the agency partners.
Many obstacles were encountered. Best practices were developed to meet the deadline safely. This presentation will discuss the strategies considered and taken to thoroughly inspect the various types of structures over varying conditions.