On Sept. 30, the beast bypass will open on the section of the Cross Florida Greenway overpass across Interstate-75.

One of the first of its kind in the country, according to the Florida Department of Transportation, the overpass will allow wildlife, as well as bicyclists, horseback riders and pedestrians, to cross over a stretch of the interstate north of Marion County Route 484 near Ocala.

The $3.1-million, 17-ft. (52 m) high, 52-ft. (15.8 m) wide bridge will be a nature trail lined with oaks, pines and palmettos. Some of the pines and oaks were imported from Arizona. The 200-ft. (61 m) long bridge will connect two sections of the Florida Greenway that were divided 30 years ago by highway construction.

The land bridge was modeled after wildlife overpasses in the Netherlands, according to the DOT.

Baker Heavy and Highway Inc. was awarded the contract on April 29, 1999, and work started July 26 of that year.

The path down the middle of the bridge will be covered with crushed oyster shells, and stones covering the walls of the bridge were gathered from farms near Ocala, DOT said.

Florida DOT has been involved in other roadway projects to save wildlife from becoming roadkill and work will begin next year on a second land bridge along Interstate-95 in Flagler County, according to the DOT.

Crossings have been built for Florida panthers on Alligator Alley (the road connecting Naples and Ft. Lauderdale) and State Road 29 in southwest Florida, and for black bears on State Road 46 in north central Florida. Other bear crossings are planned for roads in the Wekiva River Basin, northwest of Orlando, as well as crossings for deer on Route 1 in the Florida Keys.

The 36 panther crossings along Alligator Alley, cost about $20 million 10 years ago, according to DOT.

At the crossings, the roadway was raised or a bridge built over a low spot in the terrain, creating an 8-ft. (2.4 m) high, 120-ft. (36.6 m) wide space for panthers and other animals. Fencing along the road directed animals to the crossing. Before the work was done, biologists monitored the panthers with radio-tracking collars and the pathways were placed where the animals usually crossed the road. No panthers have been killed or injured on Alligator Alley since the construction of the pathways, according to the state, whereas several were killed and injured every year previously.

The state designed an underpass for black bears, at a cost of approximately $3 million, on State Road 48 in Lake County. The 24-ft. (7.3 m) wide tunnel was placed where bears had been most often struck by vehicles while crossing the highway.

Since the bear underpass was opened, no bears have been hit near the crossing, according to the state. CEG

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