Updated on February 18th, 2026.

Deer crossing a road. Photo by Wild Virginia.

Virginia contains the third-largest state maintained highway system in the United States. Many wildlife move across land and water to feed, breed, and adapt to changing habitats. As a result, wildlife-vehicle collisions become more frequent and lead to costly and dangerous collisions.  Wildlife collisions cost Virginians $533 million each year, ranking the Commonwealth among the ten highest-risk states for wildlife-vehicle collisions. Across Virginia’s 70,000+ miles of roads, the risk for wildlife and motorists grows.

Virginia’s Wildlife Corridor Action Plan and recent funding allocated from the 2025 General Assembly session are a step forward, but it is not enough. Without dedicated funding and coordination, agencies, Tribes, and localities face limited capacity and awareness to implement and maintain crossings. The lack of consistent, statewide data for wildlife-vehicle collisions also makes it difficult to identify where wildlife crossings are most needed. Initial resources and funding is in place, but more is needed to maximize the impact of wildlife crossings.

We must establish dedicated funding and coordination to prioritize habitat connectivity, protecting wildlife & motorists, and save Virginians’ money. Dedicated funding and coordination will help put Virginia’s plan into action and help communities plan effective local wildlife crossings and corridor projects.

You can take a deeper dive into supporting habitat connectivity in Our Common Agenda. To learn more, read our “Linking Landscapes for Wildlife & Safety” policy paper.

Legislators have introduced two bills to advance habitat connectivity:

See the real time updates from Virginia’s Legislative Information System (LIS) on the bill tracker below: