The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) anticipates the release of a Request for Proposals (RFP) seeking the services of a consultant team to create a Toolkit assisting decision-makers in identifying and prioritizing roadways throughout New York State (NYS) in need of reduced Wildlife-Vehicle Collisions (WVCs) and improved connectivity. The Toolkit will include/shall include: The Toolkit will enable rapid assessment and identification of roadways in need of WVC reduction and/or natural lands in need of improved habitat connectivity by overlaying datasets referencing multiple scales and perspectives. In addition to identifying and ranking areas to support mitigative prioritization, the Toolkit will allow decision-makers to pair planned capital transportation projects with prioritized locations in need of WVC reduction and/or improved connectivity. In particular, the Toolkit will provide practitionersthe following information: A. Identify priority areas where WVCs are occurring at the greatest rate and severity, relative to the rest of the state. B. Identify communities in close proximity to these priority areas where targeted education and outreach may be beneficial. C. Determine where roads impede aquatic and terrestrial connectivity. D. Prioritize opportunities to reduce WVCs and improve habitat connectivity. E. Integrate additional ecological, economic, cultural, equity, and demographic data to produce a robust model for decision making and prioritization of sites.
