How Wildlife Crossings in Florida are Saving Panthers from Highway Deaths.
Environment America reports that underpasses, modified bridges and fencing built by the Florida Department of Transportation have helped panthers cross highways, while a new crossing is planned on State Route 29.
Environment America, a national advocacy group, published an article describing how wildlife crossings in Florida have helped connect habitat for the Florida panther. The group says the only breeding population of the species survives in Southwest Florida, on less than five percent of the cat's historic habitat.
The group says threats remain. Development and new highways could fragment the habitat further, and vehicles on existing roads kill panthers. According to the article, 30 Florida panthers were killed on roads in 2024 alone. Panthers need a large home range to hunt, find mates and raise young, and the group says isolated populations make recovery harder.
The article points to Interstate 75, known as Alligator Alley, as an early example. The highway runs through 40 miles of critical panther habitat in the Everglades and Big Cypress ecosystems. The Florida Department of Transportation built wildlife crossings into the project, which was completed in the early 1990s. It included 24 wildlife underpasses, 12 modified bridges and continuous fencing along the 40 miles. The fencing steers animals toward safe crossing points under the road.
A second project is planned on State Route 29, which runs perpendicular to Alligator Alley and divides the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge from the Big Cypress Wildlife Management Area. The article calls one stretch, Owl Hammock, particularly busy and dangerous for panthers, bears and drivers. The state's plan calls for a new wildlife bridge over the Barron River Canal, an 8-foot rise in the existing road to fit a culvert underneath, and 2 miles of fencing. The article puts the cost at $8.67 million.
The group says Florida now has 60 wildlife crossings and bridges, and that researchers documented panthers and other wildlife using them. It also acknowledges that panthers, especially young ones, are still killed on roads. Environment America is urging Congress to reauthorize the Wildlife Crossing Pilot Program and to include a well-funded crossings program in any transportation bill.
Note: The headline says crossings are saving panthers from highway deaths. The page says crossings have reduced wildlife deaths and are used by panthers, but panthers are still being killed on roads, with 30 deaths in 2024.
At a Glance
- Alligator Alley's crossings, completed in the early 1990s, include 24 underpasses, 12 modified bridges and fencing along 40 miles.
- Thirty Florida panthers were killed on roads in 2024, according to Environment America.
- Florida currently has 60 wildlife crossings and bridges, the group reports.
- The planned Owl Hammock crossing on State Route 29 carries a reported cost of $8.67 million.
Sources
This brief was written by Brightside Report from the reporting linked above. Spot an error? Request a correction.