"Funding for wildlife crossings has been included in a bipartisan transportation bill that the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee plans to introduce to the House in the coming weeks. The BUILD America 250 Act would invest in roads, bridges and transit infrastructure across the country, as well as fund wildlife crossings through the reauthorization of the Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program. The new legislation calls for $80 million for the program each fiscal year from 2027 through 2031.
Conservation groups have been calling for renewed funding for the crossings as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which provided $350 million to be spent over five years on building such crossings, expires this year.
“I believe the BUILD America 250 Act is the most important surface transportation bill since President Eisenhower built the Interstate Highway System,” said Committee Chairman Sam Graves, R-MO. “Like the America 250 celebration this year, this bill is not simply about honoring our past – it’s about moving forward and building upon the legacy of our nation’s infrastructure.”
Each year, across the United States, 1 to 2 million vehicles crash into large wild animals such as deer, elk and bear. Annually, these collisions result in billions of dollars in damages, tens of thousands of human injuries and hundreds of deaths. Since its inception in 2021, the Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program has been instrumental in helping to plan and build structures to reduce these dangerous collisions."
National Parks Traveler had the story May 19, 2026.
SEE ALSO:
"Democrats On Collision Course Over EV Fees In Highway Bill" (E&E News)
"Bipartisan Bill Would Impose New Annual Fee on Electric Vehicles" (New York Times)
