Background
As documented in the TRB Research in Progress database, Utah DOT initiated a project to help identify the benefit-cost for installing wildlife-fencing:
Current wildlife projects are justified and determined using only crash history and assumptions of the crash reduction and benefit of installing wildlife-fencing. This research will help quantify the reduction in crashes from installing wildlife-fencing, providing a better comparison of safety benefit as compared to other safety projects.
This original project was limited in scope to wildlife-fencing in Utah.
Research
WTRC funded an expansion of this research project to evaluate wildlife-fencing in four additional pooled fund study member states: Colorado, Idaho, Nevada and Wyoming. This expanded effort improved data analytics and benefit-cost calculations by considering the impact of such fencing in varied geographical environments across the western region.
Research findings support the continued investment in targeted safety interventions across migration corridors. Economic analysis yielded a benefit-cost ratio of approximately 2.6, confirming that wildlife-fencing is an effective and cost-efficient strategy for improving roadway safety.