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The United States Department of Transportation is set to build a wildlife overpass on Interstate 25 in Colorado. The dedicated overpass will go between Denver and Colorado Springs, with a construction budget of $22 million. The project has taken the name of the Greenland Wildlife Overpass Project and is intended to help the wildlife have connections to habitats on both sides of the highway. The overpass will just cross right over Interstate 25, allowing animals to have a safer crossing rather than entering the road. This project is also intended to reduce the number of wildlife involved accidents, hopefully saving the lives of animals and human drivers.

This project in its completion will be one of the largest wildlife connectivity projects in North America.

Most commonly, animals such as elk and mule deer will cross the road to reach another part of their habitat. This has resulted in countless accidents, some minor, some causing significant damage, and some causing fatalities to the animal or people in the car. This project was designed to reduce these accidents to, hopefully, zero. Approximately 39,000 acres will be connected by this overpass.

One of Colorado’s senators, Senator Michael Bennet, stated that he worked hard to push the Biden Administration towards this kind of natural infrastructure. He specifically pushed a law known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law which is what is now allowing this project to be greenlit and supported financially by the federal government.

Colorado’s governor, Governor Jared Polis, spoke in appreciation of the project’s funding as well, stating, “We are working to protect both for generations to come,” (both referring to Colorado’s “amazing wildlife and outdoor spaces.” He thanked the Colorado legislators who helped fight for this action as well as the Colorado Department of Transportation’s resolute environmental teams.

The overpass will be built somewhere within the Greenland Open Space area.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has led to the formation of the Wildlife Crossing Pilot Program, which has led to 19 approved projects like the Greenland Wildlife Overpass Project. All 19 projects will receive full funding from the federal Department of Transportation.

This is actually not even the first project of its kind to be set for Colorado. In 2020, the southwestern part of the state announced a project intended to create safe wildlife passages over Highway 160. This was completed in 2021. There is also a push for a passage to be built over Interstate 70. We look forward to seeing when the project begins and finishes the project.