Wildlife crossing proposed on US 36 after high volume of vehicle-wildlife crashes

DENVER ( KDVR ) — Another wildlife crossing might be added on a major Colorado highway.

Boulder County announced its plans to consider a wildlife crossing on U.S. 36 between Boulder and Lyons as a way to help reduce vehicle-wildlife collisions.

This location has been the source of many vehicle and wildlife crashes, more than 10 times higher than the rest of Boulder County. According to the county, traffic crash data from 2009 to 2018 shows wildlife-vehicle collisions were the highest on U.S. 36 between Boulder and Lyons.

Here’s what it would potentially look like:

The goal is to build an area for both cars and animals to travel through without crossing paths and causing collisions, which typically costs drivers $11,100 in property damages and over $101,000 if injured, according to the county.

The project is still in its early phases. As of August, the county is looking for public feedback from nearby property owners.

This wildlife crossing would join another major wildlife crossing newly built on Interstate 70 this summer. Crews built a wildlife underpass beneath the highway and placed fencing along both directions of I-70. The new underpass and fencing are anticipated to decrease collisions by up to 90%.

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