Texas receives $1.8 million to reduce vehicle collisions with endangered ocelots

Sam Stark
·2 min read
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AUSTIN (KXAN) – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is giving $1.8 million to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in Texas to build underpasses in the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge around 70 miles east of McAllen, to reduce vehicle collisions with the endangered ocelot, a medium-sized spotted wildcat.

The cat’s habitat is intersected by a roadway and has been closed since 2013 due to a high number of collisions. There are fewer than 100 ocelots left in Texas. This project will allow the road to open again, according to an FHWA press release.

MORE: Texas Parks and Wildlife exploring protection options for ocelots

The funding comes from a new program in President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) that helps fund projects building wildlife crossing, fencing and acquiring tracking and mapping tools around the U.S. There is a total of $350 million available over the next five years. Laguna Atascosa is one of the first 19 projects to receive funding in the first round of grants, the press release said.

“We are pleased to announce the first round of grants under the Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program to projects that will significantly reduce the number of collisions between motorists and wildlife,” said Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt in the press release. “These roadway safety investments will ensure that motorists and wildlife in Texas get to their destinations safely and are a win-win for safety and the environment.”

The FHWA estimated that there are more than one million wildlife-vehicle collisions annually, resulting in 200 deaths and 26,000 injuries every year, the press release said.

“Every year, too many Americans are injured or killed in crashes involving cars and wildlife, especially in rural areas – but President Biden is tackling this challenge through these first-ever roadway safety grants,” said Pete Buttigieg, U.S. Transportation Secretary.

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