Animal crossings

A few years ago we were driving across Nevada on I-80, and we noticed work on a bridge across the highway that didn’t seem to have any roads leading to it.  It was an animal overpass to allow wildlife safely to cross four lanes of 75 miles-per-hour traffic.  In Wyoming when Highway 191 crossed a pronghorn migration route, an animal overpass reduced pronghorn deaths by 90%.  

Animals are definitely willing to use the crossings.  In Utah a long skinny overpass was used by moose, black bears, mountain lions, deer, porcupines, and more.  Some biologists thought it would never work, but the animals quickly took advantage of it.

You don’t have to go out west to see one of these.  I-78 in New Jersey has one.  Look for the overpass that is covered with trees and bushes.

Some of the information for this post was taken from Catrin Einhorn, “How Did the Moose Cross the Road?  On the Overpass of Course,” New York Times, (June 4, 2021), p. A11.