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https://www.nationalacademies.org/trb/events

Assessing Bat Use of Culverts in Virginia and Identifying Opportunities for Streamlining the Consultation Process for VDOT Projects: Phase I Study

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) must comply with the Endangered Species Act (ESA) for transportation projects that may impact federally listed bat species. In 2024, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) released several updates relevant to these requirements, including the updated Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Programmatic Biological and Conference Opinion (PBO) for transportation projects. Although these updates and associated tools include several changes to improve consultation efficiencies, certain aspects of the coordination process remain outside their scope. In addition, structure assessments for bat occupancy represent a significant workload for VDOT and USFWS staff and an area where additional research is needed in Virginia. An understanding of culvert use by bats is an issue that has not yet been examined through a robust statewide study. This research will inform the development of Virginia-specific tools and strategies to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of regulatory coordination for project reviews. The project will be conducted in two phases. Phase I will use literature findings VDOT bat survey data to develop a targeted sampling plan for Phase II field surveys to identify potential conditions where bat presence may be highly unlikely. Phase I will also include a review of programmatic agreements from other states and gather input from VDOT, USFWS, and other DOT staff to find opportunities to increase the efficiency of consultation process. The study findings will inform regulatory decisions for streamlining the project review processes and decreasing the workload for Virginia’s transportation and regulatory staff.