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Florida's Alligator Alley: Accomodating Wildlife
The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) prepared for Alligator Alley was one of the first conducted in the State of Florida. Without it, as Leroy Irwin of FDOT's Environmental Management Office comments, "there wouldn"t have been any conservation mitigation." After many delays, largely due to lack of funding, FDOT was set to move forward and had to complete what is referred to as an "environmental reevaluation," which is mandated by the Federal Highway Administration's NEPA regulations. The environmental re-evaluation of Alligator Alley found that 36 wildlife underpasses and bridge widenings were needed to better protect the panther panther and other important wildlife from the roads. The re-evaluation "helped the design tremendously," according to Irwin, and the final project eliminated panther roadkill mortality on this stretch of I-75. The completed project included 24 wildlife underpasses, 12 bridge extensions, habitat restoration, and extensive fencing along one 40-mile stretch. FDOT purchased land at the SR-29 interchange to prevent development and helped to purchase the land that became a Panther Refuge and the Big Cypress addition. Environmental education was prioritized. Brochures about the Florida Panther are handed out at tollbooths along Alligator Alley. Informational environmental kiosks now exist at rest stops, and wildlife warning signs have been posted along the highway. In addition to the elimination of panther mortality, roadkill of the black bear, deer, and bobcats has also disappeared along this stretch of highway. The amount of environmental review and mitigation that went into the project is a helpful example for future Florida Department of Transportation projects. Gary Evink, a former FDOT ecologist, agrees that "NEPA was critical to this and other large projects around the country as it provides accountability for impacts and leads to this sort of mitigation." Photo courtesy USFWS. |
Interstate 75 in Florida runs through a portion of the Everglades that harbors endangered and unique wildlife, including prime habitat of the endangered Florida panther. The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) proposed widening the stretch of interstate that runs through "Alligator Alley," named for the large number of alligators in the area. It was clear that future designs needed to address the issue of panther roadkill on I-75, which was threatening the panther population's
severely depleted numbers.