Bill > A5088

Introduced Session

This bill would direct the Department of Transportation (DOT) to establish a program for the construction of wildlife crossings of roads and highways in the State. As part of the program, the bill would require the DOT to establish, and publish on its website no later than 12 months after the bill's enactment, a priority list of wildlife crossing projects. The list would give priority to projects on road segments that either (1) have a high incidence of motor vehicle accidents involving wildlife, or (2) fragment the habitat of terrestrial animal species, especially threatened or endangered species. The bill would require the DOT to begin construction (or cause construction to begin) on one or more projects on the list no later than 24 months after the bill's enactment. The bill would direct the DOT to continue constructing the projects until every project on the priority list is completed. The bill would also require the DOT to seek federal funding for the program. The federal "Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act," Pub.L. 117-58, enacted in November 2021, includes a dedicated line of funding to provide grants to state highway agencies for projects that seek to achieve "a reduction in the number of wildlife-vehicle collisions" and "improved habitat connectivity for terrestrial and aquatic species." The bill would also direct the DOT to request annual funding sufficient to implement the program, beginning in the fiscal year next following the bill's enactment. New Jersey motorists are involved in thousands of collisions with wildlife each year, which can result in injuries or deaths to motorists as well as animals. According to National Geographic, there are more than a million automobile accidents per year involving wildlife in the United States, leading to more than $8 billion in medical and vehicle repair costs. New Jersey's share of this cost is likely in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Wildlife crossings--bridges, overpasses, tunnels, viaducts, and culverts specifically designed for animals to allow them to safely cross roadways--can reduce the number of these collisions. For example, one study conducted by the Nevada Department of Transportation estimated that a wildlife crossing installed at a known hotspot for deer had a cost-benefit ratio of 1.58, meaning that, for every $1.00 spent on the project, $1.58 of benefits would accrue to residents, in the form of avoided medical, repair, and enforcement costs.

AI Summary

Committee Categories

Reginald Atkins (D)*,  Shama Haider (D)*,  Sterley Stanley (D)*, 

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Transportation and Independent Authorities Committee (on 01/23/2023)

Official Document