The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) is currently installing nearly three miles of wildlife fencing along the outside perimeter of Echo Junction where Interstate 84 and Interstate 80 meet. The agency said this new stretch of fencing will help funnel wildlife to a nearby freeway under crossing.
The agency said the total cost for this phase of this fencing project is $2.3 million, with this stretch of fencing partially funded by nearly $350,000 in grants from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and other stakeholders.
“We are so grateful to partners like Utah DOT who are helping improve wildlife connectivity and make safer migrations,” said Makeda Hanson, DWR’s Utah wildlife migration initiative coordinator, in a statement. “Roads can be a major barrier to wildlife movement. However some individual animals or herds will attempt to cross roads even when high traffic occurs in a particular area.”
Hanson emphasized that wildlife fencing plays an important role in keeping wildlife safe by directing them to safer crossing locations, like large culverts and underpasses. “We use many tools to ensure wildlife can still make important migrations between different habitat areas,” Hanson said.
Recently, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) added wildlife crossings to its priority list. In December 2023, FHWA issued $110 million in grants to 19 wildlife crossing projects in 17 states, including four projects overseen by Native American tribes.
FHWA said that the time that its data indicates there are more than one million wildlife vehicle collisions in the United States annually, with wildlife-vehicle collisions involving large animals resulting in approximately 200 human fatalities and 26,000 injuries to drivers and their passengers each year.
Those collisions also cost the public more than $10 billion annually, according to FHWA; a figure that includes the total economic costs resulting from wildlife crashes, such as loss of income, medical costs, property damage and more.
Source: The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, Wildlifemigration.utah.gov
