The world’s largest wildlife overpass will soon be open for use in Colorado.  

Wildlife overpasses allow animals to safely cross over highways. And Western states are building more of them to cut down on the number of crashes between vehicles and animals.   

This new overpass is being constructed over a section of I-25 between Denver and Colorado Springs, just north of Monument. Some 80,000 drivers pass through this area daily. But elk, mule deer, and pronghorn also use that area to move between the mountains and the plains. And this stretch of highway averages one vehicle crash involving wildlife every day.   

So, how could this overpass help reduce these dangerous and costly crashes?   

Nicki Frey is a wildlife specialist with Utah State University Extension. She studies wildlife overpasses in the West, but was not involved in planning this one. She joined Erin O’Toole to explain how they work – and why they’re important to wildlife in the ecosystem. 

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Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole
Producer: Ariel Lavery
Executive Producer: Brad Turner
Theme music by Robbie Reverb
Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions

In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.