Harbor Blvd. Wildlife Underpass Los Angeles, CA

The Puente Hills Landfill Native Habitat Preservation Authority manages almost 4,000 acres of land in southern Los Angeles County. This landmass, combined with other publicly protected lands in the Puente-Chino Hills area, is a biodiversity hotspot for a number of flora and fauna, even though it is less than 30 minutes by car from downtown L.A. The land of the Habitat Authority is bisected by Harbor Boulevard, a 4-lane road that carries approximately 30,000 vehicles per day at speeds of up to 50 MPH (Gullo 2006). A study by researchers at California State University-Fullerton found that the incidence of road kill on Harbor Boulevard was very high relative to a larger study area (Elliott & Stapp 2007). Surveyed road kills have included coyotes, bobcats, and American badgers. A wildlife underpass was constructed in 2006 to mitigate wildlife mortality due to vehicles on the corridor.

The underpass received a $901,000 TE grant through the MTA award process and an additional $337,000 in TE funds from the statewide pool.

Website: http://www.habitatauthority.org/harborblvdunderpass.shtml

References:
http://www.habitatauthority.org/pdf/Harbor_Blvd_Underpass.pdf
http://repositories.cdlib.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1376&context=jmie/roadeco

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