The Institute for Transportation at Iowa State University

New ISU study predicts roosting habitats of threatened bats under bridges

Engineers and scientists rarely get together to talk about bats, but when they do, they have unprecedented research to share.

Researchers from the Institute for Transportation (InTrans) at Iowa State University have completed a unique research study that sheds some light on how bats use bridges throughout the state as roosting locations.

Bats may turn to man-made structures for roosting; however, their presence on bridges can complicate construction and maintenance. The need to better understand and predict bats’ roosting habits—to more proactively plan bridge work in the future—was brought up by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the Federal Highway Administration, and the Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT).