Colorado is constructing what state transportation officials say will be the “world’s largest” wildlife overpass crossing on Interstate 25 between Denver and Colorado Springs.
Why it matters: The $15 million project is a massive effort to keep both animals and drivers safer on one of the state’s busiest stretches of highway. The crossing is expected to curb vehicle-animal collisions along the corridor by 90%, per the Colorado Department of Transportation.
Driving the news: The Greenland Wildlife Overpass is rising over I-25 at Mile Point 165.4, just north of Monument — a hot spot for migrating elk, mule deer, pronghorn and other large game.
- The overpass will span 209 feet across six lanes of traffic and measure 200 feet wide.
- It will connect 39,000 acres of big game habitat in Douglas County to more than 1 million acres of the Pike National Forest.
State of play: Construction is in its third of four phases and halfway complete, CDOT spokesperson Tamara Rollison tells Axios Denver.
- The final phase is slated to begin in September, with full completion scheduled in December.
By the numbers: Roughly 85,000 trips are made daily on this stretch of I-25 — which links Colorado’s most populated cities, Denver and Colorado Springs. CDOT estimates that number will climb to 150,000 by 2040.
- More than 5,000 vehicle-animal collisions are reported annually in Colorado, per CDOT, costing an estimated $80 million in cleanup, medical costs and animal losses.
The big picture: Colorado has built more than 100 wildlife crossings around the state, most of which are tunnels, according to CDOT…