State highway system: wildlife connectivity

The law makes wildlife connectivity a formal highway-management objective, aiming to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions and help wildlife move across fragmented landscapes.

What the law does ​

• Requires Caltrans to publish a supplemental wildlife-connectivity improvement list with each four-year asset-management-plan revision.
• Requires the list to cover planned improvements and qualifying improvements completed since January 1, 2023, with location, infrastructure condition, barriers addressed, and performance measures.
• Requires Caltrans to assess highway barriers to wildlife, maintain and biennially update a connectivity-needs inventory using Department of Fish and Wildlife priority route segments, and consult with that department on each update.
• Requires Caltrans to include wildlife connectivity as an objective in its State Highway System Management Plan.
• Requires Caltrans to report to legislative policy and budget committees by July 1, 2028, on progress, funding, consultation, accomplishments, and obstacles.

Who it affects ​

• Caltrans, which must plan, publish, update, and report on wildlife-connectivity work.
• The Department of Fish and Wildlife, which identifies priority route segments and consults on inventories and updates.
• California Transportation Commission, which reviews and comments on the supplemental list and highway-system management plan.
• Drivers and wildlife in areas where highway barriers and crossings are evaluated.

Context ​

Wildlife connectivity improvements are physical infrastructure in or near transportation rights-of-way that facilitate wildlife passage, reduce collisions, and improve safety and operations for all users.