A newly rebuilt bridge that doubles as a habitat for bats was completed in Kentucky—and as of August, some 1,100 endangered gray bats have moved in. Inspection of the once-dilapidated bridge in 2018 revealed cracked, flaking concrete and rusted steel; but also that the infrastructure had become a roosting ground for thousands of gray bats. The undersides of bridges often become bat habitats; the cracks between box beams can offer the same protection from wind and weather that caves do. “Bats were finding cracks and crevices that were safe from wind, safe from predators, safe from rain, and it created an almost a cave-like habitat,” said Andrew Logsdon, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) ecology and permitting branch manager. Posing a growing safety concern, the parallel box beam bridge needed fixing; meanwhile, the gray bats, already threatened by habitat loss, needed a break. So, looking to successful projects in Texas, KYTC worked with …
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