Mangled deer, raccoons and skunks are a common sight on area highways, and the Colorado Department of Transportation is building a wildlife underpass over the next year to help mitigate the problem.
And it is a problem. La Plata County led the state in 2013 in wildlife-vehicle collisions, logging 252 incidents. Jefferson County came in second with 248.
The underpass, the first of 24 recommended in the Environmental Impact Study to be built in the U.S. Highway 160 corridor between Durango and Bayfield, will be built at the intersection with Dry Creek, about five miles east of the intersection with Colorado Highway 172.
“Data over the past five years show that 58 percent of all collisions are wildlife-vehicle crashes at this location,” CDOT program manager Ed Archuleta said. “Reports also show a high number of single-vehicle-overturning crashes are occurring here. The underpass and wider shoulders will help prevent these kinds of collisions.”
The underpass will be 13 feet high and 37 feet wide and will be a pre-cast concrete arch structure with a natural earth bottom. CDOT expects traffic delays to be minimal, because crews will first build a paved, two-lane detour on which two lanes of traffic will travel during the first half of the underpass construction; during the second half, traffic will be switched back to the original alignment. Crews also will install 10,700 linear feet of wildlife fence and eight wildlife escape ramps.
How does CDOT know where the wildlife likes to cross the highway?
“Wildlife-vehicle collisions still remain one of the leading threats to the state’s wildlife, particularly during fall and spring migration,” said Matt Robbins, Colorado Parks and Wildlife communications manager. “We know where the migration corridors are, and we work closely with CDOT to design mitigation features where they will be the most effective.”
Locations for the wildlife features were identified in the environmental study in collaboration with yjr Parks and Wildlife agency.
Small mammal crossings are recommended every 1,000 feet.
Between 9,200 and 9,600 vehicles travel this stretch of highway every day, Archuleta said.
The project is scheduled to be completed in May 2016, weather permitting, with a four-month winter suspension from November through March built in. The entire project is estimated to cost $6.5 million.
After the project is completed, the two new lanes of highway will be fenced off to accommodate further widening from two to four lanes.
The widening is also part of the Environmental Impact Statement.
abutler@durangoherald.com
Roadwork schedule
The Colorado Department of Transportation will be installing a wildlife underpass on U.S. Highway 160 near Dry Creek from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays. Impact on traffic is expected to be minimal, but the speed limit will be dropped to 40 mph in the work zone.
For more information, call the contractor’s public information line at (970) 828-2897.
Visit www.codot.gov/programs/environmental/wildlife/wildlifeonthemove/data-and-charts to learn more about the statistics of wildlife-vehicle collisions in the state. Only collisions reported to law enforcement are reflected in the data.
Call 511 or visit www.codot.gov/projects for construction information.
