Mountain West Lawmakers Seek New Funding for Wildlife Crossings to Reduce Collisions
Lawmakers in the Mountain West region are advocating for increased funding to construct wildlife crossings, such as bridges and tunnels, to mitigate the high number of wildlife-vehicle collisions. These structures have proven effective, with a project in northern Colorado reducing such crashes by 92% over five years. The initiative is gaining traction, with a bipartisan bill in Colorado proposing an optional $5 fee on vehicle registrations to fund additional crossings. This proposal follows the failure of a similar measure with a mandatory fee last year. The bill has already passed two Senate committees and could generate approximately $4 million annually. Federal funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act has been instrumental in supporting these projects, but as state budgets tighten, creative funding solutions are necessary. 
