Siskiyou County – Courtesy of Caltrans, UC Davis Road Ecology Center
A California wildlife overpass is already proving popular with the local deer—and it’s not even finished yet.
In what is certainly a ringing endorsement of the $20 million bridge, 3 mule deer were caught on camera traps using the bridge to safely cross I-97 in Siskiyou County.
This wildlife overpass was designed to provide animals with a safer way to cross the highway while helping reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions for motorists traveling through the corridor.
Commissioned by the California, the completed version will have trees right the way across it, but the deer didn’t feel like waiting around.
This particular corridor of I-97 starts about 20 miles south of the bridge near Weed, and continues up to Canada, bisecting migratory routes for deer, elk, bison, and other animals.
Vehicles killed over 50 deer and 16 elk in the area between 2015 and 2020, the DoT reports, any one of which could have seriously injured the driver. In addition to the bridge, 8-foot-high fencing will ensure that animals 3 mile north or south of the bridge will be funneled towards it, and not have an alternative route onto the road.
“While the contractor is still completing final touches, it’s incredible to see wildlife already embracing the new structure, even with workers still in the area. In addition to deer, a bobcat and other wildlife have also been spotted using it,” DoT wrote in a post on Facebook.
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“Seeing animals use the structure this quickly is an exciting sign of the positive impact this project will have for both wildlife connectivity and public safety for years to come.”
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