Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program

The Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration is funding construction and design of wildlife crossing infrastructure—overpasses, underpasses, culverts, and habitat restoration—to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions and improve habitat connectivity under Assistance Listing 20.290, with the most recent award disbursed on August 31, 2026, and an open solicitation due November 16, 2026.

The program is actively awarding. Eight grants have been obligated since November 2025, with funding accelerating sharply: two awards in 2025 versus six in 2026. The Federal Highway Administration is the sole funding agency across all awards to date. Combined federal dollars obligated total $22.5 million, with non-federal cost share bringing total obligation to $25.9 million. Recent awards range from $290,000 for right-of-way and incidental construction on a wildlife overpass in Montana, to $7.3 million for a large culvert replacement in Maine supporting caribou crossing, to $6.9 million for an underpass construction project in Florida. Representative projects also include native plant establishment along Interstate 5 in Oregon ($3.6 million), a comprehensive Pennsylvania statewide wildlife crossings strategic plan with data collection and public outreach ($1.05 million), and design work for overpasses and underpasses along 27 miles of highway in New Mexico benefiting mule deer, elk, pronghorn, black bears, and mountain lions ($4.46 million). All awards to date are structured as Project Grants.

The Fiscal Year 2026 solicitation (FHWA-WCPP-26-002), open through November 16, 2026, offers approximately $80 million in cost-reimbursable funding with no stated minimum or maximum award sizes. Eligible applicants include State Departments of Transportation, Metropolitan Planning Organizations, units of local government, regional transportation authorities, special purpose districts, Indian tribes, Federal Land Management Agencies, and groups of any of the above. All recipients must provide a 20 percent non-Federal cost share unless an exception applies; Federal Land Management Agencies and tribes may use other Federal funds for match. A minimum of 60 percent of annual funding must be awarded to rural areas. DOT may prioritize awards to construction projects over non-construction proposals.