PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Transportation has received a $566,000 federal grant to support its efforts to reduce the number of crashes involving wildlife and to better connect habitats. 

ADOT will use the grant, through the Federal Highway Administration’s Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program, “to develop an online mapping tool that will help identify wildlife-vehicle collision hotspots, analyze data about collisions and identify wildlife corridors for habitat connectivity,” according to a release.

In 2023, there were 2,014 collisions with animals, resulting in 241 injuries and four fatalities, state transportation officials stated in the release.

ADOT’s is one of 16 projects selected nationally for fiscal year 2024-25 using money provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which makes a total of $350 million available over five years through fiscal year 2025-26 under the Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program.

The grant requires a $32,000 state match.