Evaluating Bat Use of NDOT-managed Transportation Structures with Occupancy Modeling

Bridges, culverts, and other transportation structures sometimes provide roosting habitat for bats. Widespread use of these transportation structures across Nevada may potentially provide bat roosting habitat in areas naturally devoid of karst systems, and it is currently poorly documented how the presence of transportation structures in Nevada may increase the range of cavernicolous roosting bat species across the state. These structures may also supplement natural cave roosting habitat in the region that is sometimes disturbed or negatively impacted. Bridges, culverts, and other transportation structures vary in both design and materials, and, therefore, in their potential attractiveness to bats as roosting structures. Currently, Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) manages over 2,000 bridges and 52,000 culverts across Nevada. During a pilot study NDOT conducted in 2024, a subset of bridges and culverts were documented as supporting roosting use by bats. Thoroughly understanding the types of transportation structures that bats are using across Nevada, as well as the species, colony type, and degree of use, will provide NDOT an opportunity to efficiently plan maintenance activities on these structures so that future unexpected bridge and culvert maintenance work delays are minimized. The objectives of this research are to: (1) Determine which transportation structures across Nevada are most likely to provide roosting habitat for bats through the development of a predictive model to improve NDOT bridge survey planning efficiency. (2) Complete 500 to 650 visits to transportation structures assuming approximately four culvert visits for every bridge visit (because bridge surveys are generally more time intensive) to determine which surveyed structures show no signs of use, show signs of use, and are actively occupied at the time of survey. (3) Determine the type of colony and seasonality of use for occupied structures. (4) Develop best management recommendations into an estimated 20-page bat management plan plus references and appendices based on survey results and a finalized model.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $241,559.00
• Sponsor Organizations:

  Nevada Department of Transportation

  1263 South Stewart Street
  Carson City, NV  United States  89712

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Managing Organizations:

  Nevada DOT Research

  1263 South Stewart St
  Carson City, Nevada  United States  89712
• Project Managers:

  Holcomb, Kristi

  Ison, Mitch

• Performing Organizations:

  Western Ecosystems Technology, Inc.

  415 West 17th Street, Suite 200
  Cheyenne, WY  United States  82001
• Principal Investigators:

  Williams, Jason

• Start Date: 20251204
• Expected Completion Date: 20280229
• Actual Completion Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bridges; Culverts; Habitat; Maintenance management; Surveying; Wildlife
• Geographic Terms: Nevada
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Environment; Highways; Maintenance and Preservation; Planning and Forecasting;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01973779
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Nevada Department of Transportation
• Files: RIP, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Dec 9 2025 2:09PM