The largest wildlife overpass in Colorado is under construction across Interstate 25 in Douglas County, according to Colorado Public Radio.
The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) said it will be one of the largest wildlife overpasses in the United States.
Kraemer North America is the project contractor.
Situated on I-25 between Monument and Larkspur, the $15 million Greenland Wildlife Overpass is designed to provide safe passage for large animals such as deer, elk and pronghorn over six traffic lanes, Colorado Public Radio reported. A federal grant provided most of the project's funding.
The bridge, which is expected to be completed by year's end, will be built with sloped entrances and covered in native grasses as an invitation for wildlife to use the crossing, according to Colorado Public Radio.
The overpass will span 209 ft. and will be 204 ft. wide, according to axios.com.
The overpass will connect 39,000 acres within the Douglas County Land Conservancy to more than 1 million acres of the Pike National Forest. Both are under long-standing conservation easements. It also will complete the wildlife crossing network along I-25 from Monument to Castle Rock; the interstate bisects the largest protected open space along Colorado's front range between Fort Collins and Pueblo.
Colorado has become a leader in constructing wildlife crossings, with more than 100 structures — including overpasses and underpasses — present throughout the state, according to CDOT.
Only three of those existing wildlife crossings are overpasses, which are used by large animals who prefer clear sight lines from open structures. Larger animals don't often use underpasses, according to CDOT.
The overpass construction is part of the I-25 Gap project that focuses on improving 18 mi. of I-25 from Castle Rock to Monument, largely by adding a toll lane in each direction.
CDOT expects the overpass, along with three other new wildlife crossings and 28 mi. of deer fencing, to reduce animal-vehicle collisions by 90 percent. The agency said there is an average of one animal-vehicle crash per day in the corridor.
About 85,000 daily trips are made on the impacted stretch that connects Denver and Colorado Springs, according to axios.com. That total is expected to reach 150,000 by 2040.
