Local

Black bear struck, killed on I-4 in Seminole County; Still no plans for bear safety tunnels

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. — Another black bear was found dead on Interstate 4 Friday morning after it was struck and killed by a vehicle in Altamonte Springs.

Florida Highway Patrol troopers said the 200-pound bear was crossing a lane of I-4 near State Road 436 when it was hit by a pickup truck.

According to troopers, the truck's driver attempted to stop when he saw the bear but couldn't avoid hitting the animal.

The driver of the truck wasn't injured in the incident.

In Volusia County, wildlife officials are trying to stop the bear deaths by building a series of wildlife crossings beneath I-4, so Channel 9's Bianca Castro asked why there are no plans to build them in Seminole County, where the latest bear was struck.

As part of the I-4 widening project, the Florida Department of Transportation has installed special fencing that will funnel bears to a tunnel that leads under I-4 and safely to the other side of the roadway.

Charles Lee is with Audubon Florida, a big proponent of what's happening on I-4 in Volusia.

"Engineering is a big part of the solution," said Lee.

FDOT officials said they will not include any wildlife crossings when it expands I-4 from SR-436 down to Kirkman Avenue.

A spokesperson told Channel 9 that stretch of I-4 doesn't run though what's considered a wildlife corridor.

In Volusia County, I-4 runs directly through natural habitat, where most of 30 bears killed on the roadway over the last two decades were hit.

The cost for three bear corridors being built in Volusia County is just under $10 million.