Federal funds will support construction of an I-5 overpass for wildlife to safely cross

The Jefferson Exchange

Dr. Karen Mager, JPR host Mike Green and Dr. Jack Williams(JPR Senior Producer Natalie Golay)

A $33.2M federal grant combined $3.8M from the Oregon Department of Transportation for a total of $37M will allow ODOT to construct a wildlife crossing over Interstate 5 in southern Oregon in the Cascade Siskiyou National Monument. This will be the first wildlife overcrossing for Oregon over the I-5 corridor. The I-5 freeway stretches north and south between Mexico and Canada.

Construction of a wildlife overpass will start in late 2027 and require a year for completion in early 2029. It will be located across I-5 just north of the Oregon-California border within the Mariposa Preserve, part of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument.

Joining the Exchange to discuss the details are Dr. Karen Mager, Associate Professor of Environmental Science, Policy, Sustainability and Biology at SOU, and Dr. Jack Williams, a Co-Coordinator at Southern Oregon Wildlife Crossing Coalition, and Oregon State Representative Pam Marsh.

Funding will allow for construction of an overpass spanning the northbound and southbound lanes, directional fencing to funnel wildlife to the structure and associated habitat improvements. The purpose of a wildlife crossing is to prevent wildlife-vehicle collisions, which threaten the safety of both motorists and wildlife, and to reconnect critical wildlife habitat.