CDOT Steps Up Vehicle-Wildlife Collision Mitigation Plans
The Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife and the Colorado Dept. of Transportation are reminding people that late fall is prime time for animal-vehicle collisions around the state. In Summit County alone, vehicles have collided with at least six moose this year, including a young bull moose killed near I-70.
Wildlife mitigation efforts on I-70, however, have increased in recent years. CDOT and the Federal Highway Administration, collaborating with Rocky Mountain Wild, ECO-resolutions LLC and other partners, recently completed the I-70 Eco-Logical Project, a comprehensive analysis of wildlife mitigation for the I-70 Mountain Corridor from Golden to Glenwood Springs. Researchers on the project have developed recommendations on the best places to install new crossing opportunities for wildlife, as well as several locations where existing bridges and culverts may be modified to function for wildlife passage.