Why Texas animals have dedicated crossings throughout the state now: bridges were created in part to protect endangered species like the ocelot and Houston toad

Summary

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has built 32 wildlife crossings throughout the state to help keep both drivers and animals safe.
Twenty-one of the bridges were built in locations in South Texas, including Corpus Christi, Pharr, and Laredo, to protect ocelots, which are an endangered species.
Other wildlife crossings have been installed in Corpus Christi, El Paso, and Austin to protect other endangered species, such as the Houston toad and mule deer.
The crossings are concrete tunnels connecting existing wildlife paths under highways.
They are designed to guide wildlife to pass under the road rather than over it, which reduces the number of wildlife vehicle collisions.
The crossings also have benefits for humans, such as reducing collision-related expenses and improving highway safety.
So far, efforts to build wildlife crossings have been successful, with 26 documented sightings of species using the crossings.
Thirteen more of the crossings are planned for the Pharr area.

Additional details

The Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program is part of the $1.12 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which made $350 million available over five years for construction of wildlife crossings.