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North America’s largest wildlife overpass opens over busy, remote road
North America’s largest wildlife bridge, meant to help animals safely cross over busy roads, opened in Colorado, state officials announced this week.
The Greenland Wildlife Overpass swoops over Interstate 25 near Larkspur, located between Denver and Colorado Springs. About 100,000 vehicles travel in the remote area each day, the Colorado Department of Transportation said in a Dec. 16 news release.
The Greenland overpass allows elk, mule deer, black bears, mountain lions and other wildlife to safely cross on dirt and vegetation above six lanes of traffic. The overpass, costing around $15 million, connects 39,000 acres of wildlife habitats separated by I-25, in an area known for high movement of large game, according to a project description.
“The I-25 Greenland wildlife overpass is critical to the safety of both wildlife and motorists,” Shoshana Lew, executive director of the state transportation department, said in a statement.
It’s located in a 3.7-mile gap from other wildlife crossings. Underpasses and fencing make up the system. Prior to the system, transportation officials said there was an average of one wildlife crash per day during fall and spring wildlife movement seasons. The Greenland crossing is expected to reduce local wildlife-vehicle crashes by 90%, Lew said.
The $15 million I-25 Greenland wildlife overpass near Larkspur in Douglas County has been completed and is expected to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions along a busy stretch prone to crashes by 90%.
“Colorado is leading the way in reducing wildlife-vehicle collisions, and improving safety for both our motorists and wildlife,” Gov. Jared Polis said in a statement.
The overpass is 200 feet wide and 209 feet long, covering 41,800 square feet, state officials said. It was completed within a year, faster than projected.
Meanwhile, in Southern California, the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing is nearing completion between the Santa Monica Mountains and Simi Hills near Los Angeles, crossing one of the nation’s busiest roadways. The wildlife overpass above 10 lanes of Highway 101 is about 210 feet long and 174 feet wide, according to the California Department of Transportation.
Organizers say that project aims to be the “largest wildlife crossing in the world of its kind.”
After breaking ground in 2022, it costs an estimated $92 million, mostly paid for by nonprofits.
Robert Rock, of Rock Design and Associates, is seen working as the first layers of soil are placed on the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing on March 31, 2025 in Agoura Hills, California.
If there were cars on the crossing, it’d be wide enough for about five or six lanes of traffic in each direction, Caltrans said. Instead, the Annenberg overpass will help mountain lions, bobcats and coyotes avoid getting hit by cars on Highway 101, which divides habitats to the north and south.
The crossing is expected to open in 2026, according to Lauren Wonder, a Caltrans spokesperson.
Contributing: Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY; Miles Blumhardt, Fort Collins Coloradoan
Eduardo Cuevas is based in New York City. Reach him by email at emcuevas1@usatoday.com or on Signal at emcuevas.01.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: North America’s largest wildlife overpass opens in Colorado