Highway fencing and crossings proven to save lives, ...

BOW VALLEY ' Crossing structures and associated highway fencing save the lives of wildlife and people.

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BOW VALLEY ' Crossing structures and associated highway fencing save the lives of wildlife and people.

That's according to a growing body of scientific research from around the world, including in Banff National Park, where wildlife-vehicle collisions on the Trans-Canada Highway reduced by more than 80 per cent with fencing and associated crossing structures.

Tony Clevenger, a renowned scientist who specializes in effects of highways and other barriers on wildlife connectivity, said fencing is highly effective at reducing wildlife vehicle collisions, but fencing alone blocks movements and isolates populations.

'Fencing with crossing structures is the most effective method of mitigating wildlife vehicle collisions and maintaining connectivity across busy roads,' said Clevenger, a Bow-Valley-based scientists who worked on the Banff wildlife crossing project for 17 years. 'We know that they are cost effective and pay for themselves in a matter of a decade or less.'

Recent wildlife collisions near Canmore have renewed calls for fencing and wildlife crossings along a 39-km stretch of the Trans-Canada outside Banff's east gate to Highway 40, including a petition by local resident Cinthia Nemoto, who has collected 3,000 signatures.

In the most recent collision on April 27, a semi-struck hit seven elk in the eastbound lane east of Canmore between the Cougar Creek pedestrian underpass and the exit to Three Sisters. Four elk were already dead, but the RCMP had to shoot three injured elk.

In the first accident, three vehicles were damaged as a result of elk being on the highway near the Palliser lands in Canmore on Feb. 28. One person was taken to hospital.

'I strongly believe that it is only a matter of time before there is a human fatality,' said Fiona Coldridge, the woman involved in the crash, in a letter she sent to Miranda Rosin, the new United Conservative Party MLA for Banff-Kananaskis.

'I am still recovering from my physical injuries and I also have PTSD.'

Rosin, who won her seat for Banff-Kananaskis in the April 16 provincial election, said vehicle collisions with wildlife in this area are becoming an increasing problem.

She said she plans to have conversations with the appropriate provincial ministers.

'It would be even scarier if the seven elk hit by the semi all at once were hit by seven different vehicles; we could have had seven people dead,' said Rosin.

'While I'm happy to start conversations with the appropriate minsters, we can't be making any promises until we get a hard look at the books and get an idea where we are financially.'

In neighbouring Banff National Park, there are now 38 wildlife underpasses and six overpasses along an 82-kilometre stretch of highway from the park's east entrance to the border of Yoho National Park.

Highway fencing there has reduced wildlife-vehicle collisions by more than 80 per cent and, for elk and deer alone, by more than 96 per cent.

Clevenger said there were, on average, more than 100 elk-vehicle collisions a year in Banff National Park on the first 22 kilometres of entering the park from the east gate prior to Parks Canada putting in fencing and underpasses in the s.

'No one was ever killed, but there were several accidents with injuries and the park knew it would be a matter of time before some was severely injured or a fatality,' said Clevenger.

'They had the wherewithal to mitigate for wildlife-vehicle collisions during the highway expansion.'

In Arizona and California, Clevenger said there are precedents where departments of transportation were sued for accidents that occurred in areas where the agency knew there was a high likelihood or risk of accident with major injury or fatality ' and did nothing.

'If nothing is done to mitigate the Trans-Canada Highway through this part of the Bow Valley, we may have a collision event with fatalities,' he said.

'Alberta Transportation may wish that they had acted earlier and mitigated this problem with relatively inexpensive and effective measures.'

The Bow Valley is one of the most important regional wildlife corridors in Alberta and it's also a busy corridor for humans, with an average of 22,000 vehicles every day buzzing by on the highway.

Deer, elk, bighorn sheep, moose, cougars, lynx, wolves, black and grizzly bears use the high quality habitat along the Bow River valley bottom to move between the protected areas of Banff National Park and Kananaskis Country.

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A study, which was co-authored by Clevenger, identified 10 sites along a 39-kilometre stretch of highway from the east gate of Banff to Highway 40, with recommendations including fencing and associated underpasses.

The study, by Miistakis Institute and Western Transportation Institute, also called for one overpass at Bow Valley Gap east of Lac Des Arc. A critical wildlife corridor there has historically seen the highest number of vehicle-wildlife collisions in the entire study area.

Last year, Alberta Transportation hired a consultant to do the design and cost benefit analysis of the structure, expected to cost about $7 million to build. The fate of this project is currently unknown under the UCP government.

'I would be very happy to start a conversation,' said Rosin.

Most of the study area has not been mitigated for wildlife, but the report also points to what is called a 'mitigation success story' for wildlife near Dead Man's Flats. Three kilometres of highway fencing, 1.5 km east and 1.5 km west of an underpass, was installed in .

'From Dead Man's Flats, we know that one underpass with short fenced section on each side reduced road kills, primarily elk and deer, by 78 per cent,' said Clevenger.

When driving down the highway, most motorists don't think about the fencing structures built to enhance safety, reduce noise, deter animals and generally mitigate other risks. But the design and implementation of highway fencing is both essential and complex.

Constructing effective fencing along a traveled highway requires a well-thought-out approach and precise knowledge of the materials and specifications related to the project.

To help highlight the different purposes, forms and considerations for highway fencing, this article provides a number of informative insights.

Highway Fencing Needs & Applications

Highway fencing is employed in various types of settings and for a multitude of different reasons. Generally speaking, it is intended to separate the drivable roadway from the surrounding area, though there are more granular requirements at play. Here are some of the most common functions: 

• Sound barrier

  : Typically applied in urban and suburban areas, fencing in the form of sound barriers (or sound walls) is erected to contain noise stemming from vehicular traffic. There are two types of sound barriers used along highways. One is a reflective wall, which serves to block sound waves and reflect them back to the area from which they came. The other is an absorptive wall, constructed from porous and textured materials to help intercept and absorb the sound waves.

• Right-of-way

  : Many interstate, state and local roadways implement highway fencing to control access to or restriction from the path of traffic. These fencing structures can serve as crash barriers, reducing the risk of collision between oncoming lanes, and they create a perimeter delineating the boundaries of the roadway. 

• Rockfall protection

  : In areas along highways where sloped ground poses the risk of falling rocks, fencing is often applied to protect the roadway and prevent rockfall from reaching potential traffic. Fencing or walls designed with this purpose in mind mitigate the risk of falling rocks causing damage to a vehicle, person or structure. 

• Fauna protection

  : The presence of animals on a highway can be particularly dangerous to both the animals themselves and the people driving along the road. Fencing is commonly utilized to alleviate this hazard and deter animals from accessing the highway. 

• Bridge safety

  : Some states have passed legislation to address protective fencing on bridges over highways so as to protect pedestrians and motorists. In response to dangerous (and even lethal) incidents of rocks or other projectiles being thrown over bridges or overpasses onto the highway below, fencing has been erected to thwart this type of activity. 

Popular Types of Highway Fencing Materials

The design and use of materials for constructing highway fencing should be determined based on a multitude of factors, including the type of need or application (like those listed above), the highway setting, the flow of traffic, the surrounding landscape, access specifications, governing laws and regulations, and more. To create a more robust understanding of these dynamics, following are some of the most common material and structural choices for building highway fencing.

• Chain link and woven wire mesh

  : Multi-level chain link fencing systems are widely used to help reduce accidents. Chain link can be applied either independently or in connection with other barriers to create an effective fencing structure. It is a cost-effective option and features both the flexibility and visibility to support risk prevention along highways. It is particularly useful at deterring wildlife while maintaining the local ecosystem. 

• Precast concrete

  : This type of highway fencing is especially effective in terms of minimizing sound pollution. It can lessen perceived noise by as much as half, and it features both the strength and durability required in certain highway settings. Steel rebar or reinforcing mesh can be applied to create greater bonding of the material and prevent cracks. By adding absorption materials or texture, there is even greater capacity to block highway sounds from the surrounding areas. Color additives and textures can also be used to help the structures either blend in or stand out, depending on specific needs.  

• Steel or aluminum guardrails

  : Guardrails along a highway serve to form a protective barrier and mitigate the danger to motorists who veer, swerve or drift off the roadway. When stopping the vehicle unimpeded is not a viable option, guardrails can help lessen the severity of a crash by deflecting, slowing or stopping the vehicle. Constructed from either steel or aluminum, guardrails are built and secured based on a post-and-beam model.

Compliance & Specifications for Highway Fencing Construction

As you can imagine, the many requirements and potential risks related to highway fencing mean that constructing them requires a specialized approach. In addition to the many specific needs of various settings and highway nuances, there are always regulatory and compliance issues to factor into the equation. 

It is of the utmost importance to understand and construct in accordance with governances on the local, state and federal level. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), for example, publishes a list of all specifications to which any contractor must adhere with regard to materials used for their projects. The vendor or manufacturer who supplies the fence materials to the contractor must be an approved PennDOT supplier. 

Given these challenges, it is necessary to contract the services of a highly experienced and knowledgeable professional in these areas, one who can recommend the right kind of highway fencing to meet unique needs and specifications, as well as carry out a high-quality installation process based on industry best practices for safety, reliability and compliance.

Rutkoski Fencing, Inc. is a pre-approved business partner for Pennsylvania highway projects and a registered business partner for state turnpike projects.

Download our free brochure to learn more about how Rutkoski Fencing can help with your next project.