The $11.3-million collaboration aims to reduce vehicle-wildlife collisions and provide safer movement for animals.

The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) together with Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) and the Southern Ute Indian Tribe announced plans to build a wildlife overpass and underpass system on U.S. Highway 160 between Durango and Pagosa Springs, in hopes that it will help animals move safely throughout the area and reduce animal-vehicle collisions. The project is scheduled to begin Spring 2021.

The project will be located at the CO Highway 151 intersection near Lake Capote and Chimney Rock National Monument in Archuletta County. Work includes a wildlife underpass structure just west of the intersection and a wildlife overpass just east of the intersection, as well as exclusion fencing, earthen escape ramps, and deer guards.

Since 2012, wildlife-vehicle collisions in the area have been trending up and make up about 60 percent of crashes in the area. The project is expected to reduce vehicle-wildlife collisions by about 85 percent.

"This is a heavily used corridor by vehicles and an important area in the San Juan Basin for big game," said Scott Wait, senior terrestrial biologist for CPW. "Deer and elk spend the warm months in the high country to the north; but most big game move to the important winter range areas south of the highway during the winter. So there is a huge number of deer and elk that cross the highway at that location."

CDOT said an average of 3,300 wildlife-vehicle collisions are reported throughout Colorado each year. It has built more than 60 wildlife mitigation structures crossing above or below highways throughout the state and has installed almost 400 miles of high big game fencing along interstates.

Check out the video below from CPW that shows a similar safe crossing project on Highway 9 south of Kremmling:

The cost of the $11.3 million Highway 160 project will be borne by several agencies, including $8.6 million from CDOT; $1.3 million from the Southern Ute Indian Tribe; $750,000 from CPW; $317,000 from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation; $100,000 from Mule Deer Foundation via a private donor; and $75,000 from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. 

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