An overpass cut deer collisions 91 percent

North America's largest wildlife overpass has cut animal-vehicle collisions along one stretch of Interstate 25 in Colorado by 91% since it opened in December. The 209-by-200-foot bridge sits near the Greenland exit between Larkspur and Monument, on a road where about one deer was hit each day during peak spring and fall migration. "Based on the video feed that we're collecting, huge success," said Chuck Attardo, an environmental manager with the Colorado Department of Transportation. He has watched elk herds cross, and pronghorn reaching the west side of the highway for the first time in decades. The project also includes five underpasses and fencing to guide animals toward the crossings. Biologists arranged logs along part of the bridge so smaller creatures, including the federally threatened Preble's meadow jumping mouse, have shelter from predators. For wildlife biologist Brandon Marette, six years of planning came down to one photo. "That elk with her calf was just standing there in safety, getting to the other side of I-25."