A project to build a new wildlife underpass, as well as wildlife fencing, in southwest Colorado is now complete, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) announced on Wednesday morning.
It's the latest of multiple wildlife-focused transportation projects across Colorado in recent years.
Digital Originals
How Colorado quickly became a nationwide leader in wildlife crossings
On Nov. 18, crews with CDOT and contractor FNF Construction completed the US 550 Paco - Billy Wildlife & Safety Improvements project, located about five miles north of Ridgway, CDOT said.
The work, which totaled $7 million, began in March 2024 and spanned eight miles between mile points 109 to 117. This section borders Ridgway State Park. Over the past decade, 50% of traffic crashes between mile point 109 and 119 here were related to wildlife, CDOT said.
Now, the roadway has a wildlife underpass and eight-foot fencing with jump-outs, which are one-way ramps where animals trapped on the wrong side of the fence can get back to safety. CDOT said this fencing guides animals to the underpass, which is located at Billy Creek near mile point 114, which was identified as a popular big game migration route. The new fencing will connect to existing features to create a seven-mile corridor to keep animals off the road.
“It is common to see large herds of elk and mule deer along this route, especially during migration season,” said CDOT Executive Director Shoshana Lew. “Many of our recent improvement efforts focused on features that significantly reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions.”
This project is expected to reduce the number of collisions with wildlife in this area by 85%, CDOT said.
Statewide, CDOT has built more than 40 wildlife underpasses and three overpasses, with more planned. Those crossings, paired with long stretches of wildlife fencing to funnel the animals to the safe passageway, have made an enormous impact: Reductions in wildlife-involved crashes hover around 90% in most cases, CDOT told Denver7. In some cases, that reduction soars to 97%.
Since the spring of 2022, CDOT has completed safety projects along this highly trafficked stretch of US 550. A total of $40 million has resulted in 22 miles of resurfaced roadway adjacent to about seven miles of wildlife fencing, Lew said. This fencing keeps animals away from the roadway.
“Motorists who have patiently navigated lengthy work zones over multiple construction seasons can now enjoy a much safer and construction free commute," Lew said.
Drivers can now enjoy a construction-free commute between Montrose and Ouray, CDOT said. During the project, lane closures and traffic shifts to a single lane of alternating traffic were required.
This is the latest of three projects along the highway between Montrose and Ridgway within the past two years, CDOT said. The other two projects included:
- US 550 Ouray to Colona Resurfacing Project (Surface Treatment Asset Funding & 10-Year Plan). This ran from mile point 93.8 to 115.6. Construction, which cost $13.3 million, began in April 2022 and ended in June 2023.
- US 550 Otter Road South Safety Improvements (10-Year Plan). This 18.9 million project began in January 2023 and wrapped up in July 2024. It ran from mile points 126 to 117.5.
All three of the US 550 corridor projects are part of CDOT's 10-Year Plan and the $2.2 billion investment in Colorado's transportation since 2019. These projects have resulted in more passing and acceleration lanes, widened shoulders, left-turn lanes, intersection realignments and features to reduce crashes with wildlife.
No more constructions are planned for this section of US 550 in 2025.
In September, Scripps News Denver published an in-depth report on Colorado's wildlife crossings, and how the state has become a leader for building these sorts of projects. You can watch this story below.
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