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原文传递 New Hope Creek Bridge as a Wildlife Underpass.

题名：	New Hope Creek Bridge as a Wildlife Underpass.
作者：	A. M. Kleist; R. A. Lancia; P. D. Doerr;
关键词：	vehicle animal collisions,mitigation,wildlife underpass;wildlife crossings, driver safety, deer;
摘要：	Roads pose many threats to wildlife. One such threat, wildlife-vehicle collisions, is a danger to humans as well as wildlife. Bridges built to facilitate movement of wildlife under roads may reduce the incidence of animal-vehicle collisions (AVCs). This study was the first phase of a two-phase investigation of whether the dimensions of a bridge designed to function as a wildlife underpass influence wildlife use of the underpass. The bridge, located along Highway 15/501, spanned New Hope Creek near Durham, North Carolina. The underpass was important as a wildlife passage because the forests associated with New Hope Creek created a corridor between two natural areas. Phase One involved monitoring wildlife use of the current underpass using video cameras. We also surveyed sections of Highway 15/501 near the underpass for vehicle-killed animals. In 2007, a longer bridge will be constructed. Phase Two will involve monitoring wildlife passage under the longer bridge. Wildlife use of the current and future underpass will be compared to determine whether underpass dimensions influence wildlife use of the underpass. Between December 11, 2003 and May 31, 2005, 75 deer were observed using the underpass and 5 were observed approaching the highway within view of the cameras. We also observed 36 underpass crossings by medium-sized mammals, including domestic cat, woodchuck, and raccoon, and 15 underpass crossings by small mammals, including gray squirrel, cotton rat, and chipmunk. Three potential road crossings by small mammals were observed. Five vehicle-killed animals, including raccoon, opossum, wild turkey, woodchuck, and an unidentifiable medium-sized mammal, were observed near the underpass. These results indicate that the underpass was used by wildlife, which may reduce the occurrence of animal-vehicle collisions on the section of Highway 15/501 containing the underpass. / Title Note: Final rept. / Supplementary Notes: Sponsored by Federal Highway Administration, Raleigh, NC. North Carolina Div., North Carolina Dept. of Transportation, Raleigh. Research and Analysis Group. and Center for Transportation and the Environment, Raleigh, NC. / Availability Note: Order this product from NTIS by: phone at 1-800-553-NTIS (U.S. customers); (703)605-6000 (other countries); fax at (703)605-6900; and email at orders@ntis.gov. NTIS is located at 5301 Shawnee Road, Alexandria, VA, 22312, USA. / NTIS Prices: PC A08/MF A08 / NTIS In-house Control Codes: dotour/dotfha;12111,1101
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