At-risk snakes slithering around Gordie Howe Bridge construction

Snakes at-risk are slithering their way to safety, thanks to the Gordie Howe International Bridge.

The Windsor Detroit Bridge Authority (WDBA) has identified two species-at-risk snakes, the eastern gartersnake and the butler's gartersnake, around the construction site of the Canadian port of entry.

To ensure the snakes stay well-protected, WDBA has built snake fencing to prevent them from getting inside the construction zone as the bridge is being built.

"It's actually buried into the ground about 18 centimetres, because the two species at risk snakes also burrow," said Mark Butler, director of communications.

The fencing is similar to what they have near the Herb Gray Parkway.

What the staff also do is a daily perimeter check to look for snakes that may have found their way inside "unauthorized," he said, and they would put them in canvas bags and relocate them to a place where they can thrive.

However, Butler declined to disclose that location.

"There is a bit of a trade, illegal trade, in endangered species of snakes and other animals, so we don't tell people where we take them," he said.

Aside from snakes, some vegetation are also at risk near the building site.

However, relocating those are a bit more work.

"Transplanting a piece of flora is sometimes a little more difficult in making sure that you have a successful transplant than it is with an animal," he said.

Butler added that staff working on site all have species-at-risk training so they can identify species they may come across and follow the necessary procedures to ensure the species remain protected.

So far there haven't been any identified species-at-risk on the U.S. side.