While the wall has reduced the number of road kill, there is a price to pay. What’s that costing you 3 point 6 million dollars? We asked Busscher if there were some taxpayers that said geez, 3 point 6 million dollars to stop road kill.
Dunno why they used the word "point" instead of just writing "3.6 million" but, whatever. My first reaction was, "you gotta be kidding." I then started watching the associated video (of which this article is actually a transcript) and I started thinking about the possible benefits of this wall besides keeping little critters safe. The report actually ended up mentioning one of them which is that fewer animals on the road means it's less likely someone will swerve to avoid one and potentially cause an accident. Another benefit that the report didn't mention is the reduction in cleanup costs due to fewer road kills (assuming they actually clean them up and not leave them to decompose on their own).
At the end of the report is this note:
While there is no doubt animals crossing the highway present problems, some people we talked to asked why the D.O.T. didn’t erect a less expensive fence instead of building 3.6 million dollar wall. The D.O.T. in charge of the area says a fence would not work because it would be in need of repair and animals might get through.
However the D.O.T. spokesman in charge of Alligator Alley says a fence is all the keeps the gators from the traffic in that area of the state and nothing else is needed because the fence works perfectly fine.
If all you're concerned about is alligators, then a fence is fine. But in this case they're dealing with small animals, such as frogs and snakes, as well as large and a fence wouldn't be enough. And they're right about the maintenance issue. This concrete wall is much more durable than a fence of any kind and will probably cost less to maintain over the long run.
After watching the report and upon further reflection, I'm inclined to give the Florida D.O.T. the benefit of the doubt. This wall may actually be worth the money, both in reducing actual costs due to reduced cleanup and accidents, and in improving the appearance of the road. It's obvious someone put some thought into its design and they certainly didn't rush into building it. I would like to see a study done in, say, five years detailing the total cost of the wall (original construction and maintenance) vs. the cost savings. That would then serve as a factor when deciding whether or not to build such walls along other stretches of highway.
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