Alberta’s only wildlife overpass since 2010, the Bow Valley Gap Wildlife Overpass, recently received a Minister’s Award for Transportation Innovation at the Transportation Connects Alberta conference.
DIALOG, the architecture firm behind the overpass’s design, designed the structure to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions (WVCs) in the Bow Valley Corridor while maintaining critical animal migration routes.
The overpass will reduce WVCs on one of Alberta’s busiest roadways. The firm conducted extensive research on wildlife habitat locations and movement corridors, wildlife-vehicle collision data, and geotechnical and roadway considerations in the planning and preliminary design phases.
The design references the surrounding landscape context, making it a continuation of the natural environment. Its location was strategically chosen as a significant pathway in wildlife migration routes.
The final overpass design consists of twin arches, each spanning more than two lanes of traffic and associated shoulders, with an allowance to accommodate a third lane in the future. The arches are covered with soil and vegetation that tie into the surrounding topography and landscape—a crucial design element that encourages wildlife usage.
The project also includes 12 km (7.4 miles) of exclusion fencing along the highway to funnel wildlife to the overpass and a series of “jump outs” to allow animals who enter the right-of-way to exit safely.
Wildlife overpasses have emerged as a major success in advancing highway safety and environmental conservation. In Banff National Park, the crossings have contributed to an 80 per cent reduction in large-mammal collisions, according to Think Wildlife Foundation.
