Bird Bridge Strike Study Request for Information
Summary: The National Park Service and the Minnesota Department of Transportation are working in partnership to determine the effect of bridge size and design on bird strike mortality, particularly with bridges spanning rivers and intersecting migratory flyways. There has been virtually no information found about this topic to date, and this Award would be for a review of any existing literature, as well as development of a study design that would determine bridge design impacts on bird mortality. Background: The National Park Service and the Minnesota Department of Transportation are working in partnership to determine the effect of bridge size and design on bird strike mortality, particularly with bridges spanning rivers and intersecting migratory flyways. This is a result of a bridge replacement project on the Mississippi River in Hastings, Minnesota. The new bridge is a free-standing arch design featuring a trapezoidal cross-section that tapers from the crown to the springline with no structural elements overhead, resulting in efficient illumination of the arch at night using a minimal amount of light. Lighting consists of two lines of light tracing the bottoms of the parallel arches from one end to the other. The downward direction of the lights avoids sky glow and light pollution that can occur with deck mounted floodlights. The upper and vertical inside faces of the main span piers are illuminated below the deck to provide a focal point for viewers on the shore or river. The goal of this research project is to determine what correlations exist between bird-bridge collisions and bridge structure size, type (design) and lighting. In order to acquire this information it is important to understand what information is presently available, what research efforts have been completed or are underway, and how a research study could be designed to best acquire this information. The study will need to determine if there are specific species that are more susceptible to bridge strikes and if there are increased energetic expenses of maneuvering around bridge structures. Numerous studies of avian mortality with regards to power lines, wind turbines and building design have been done. However, research of various bridge design aspects and their impacts on bird strikes are difficult to find, if they exist at all. This is particularly interesting considering the majority of bridges cross waterways – a site for resting, nesting and feeding.
Office: National Park Service
Grants Management Officer
Phone 402-661-1640
