Innovative Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Structures for Wildlife Crossings

The overall objectives of this research project are to identify cost sensitive and environmentally friendly FRP materials and use them in the design of the continent’s first FRP wildlife crossing.

There are no known FRP wildlife overpasses in North America at this time. The overall objectives of this research project are to identify cost sensitive and environmentally friendly FRP materials and use them in the design of the continent’s first FRP wildlife crossing. This structure can then be adapted for use in other locations across North America and will lead to innovation for bicycle and pedestrian crossings over roads. The development and deployment of a structural prototype by this project will help provide technical information that is sorely lacking for such a promising technology. The prototype is proposed for implementation in California in partnership with Caltrans. The project is organized into four tasks: 1) identify and select FRP manufacturers and materials that will contribute to efficient and cost-effective bridge structures; 2) investigate and perform a preliminary design of up to three different wildlife overpass structures using different FRP applications and assure they can meet Caltrans’ structural specifications and address wildlife’s needs; 3) evaluate the implementation of the selected FRP wildlife overpass structure via cost-benefit, construction and life-cycle metrics; and, 4) disseminate the results, recommendations and conclusions of the investigation.