Just 10 months in, the largest wildlife overpass in North America has reduced animal-vehicle collisions by 91 percent, according to Good Good Good’s good-news roundup on October 24, 2026. On a stretch of highway between Colorado’s two biggest cities — Denver and Colorado Springs — there was a vehicle-animal collision about once a day. In the past 10 months, there have been 2 total. The crossing spans six lanes of Interstate 25 and features a 209-by-200-foot bridge, five underpasses, and miles of fencing designed to funnel animals toward the crossings, the report said. It is infrastructure built for animals as much as for drivers — and the early numbers suggest it is working spectacularly.
Two collisions instead of hundreds
Before the overpass, the stretch saw roughly one collision a day — a danger to drivers and a death toll for deer, elk and other wildlife. In 10 months with the crossing in place, just 2 collisions were recorded. That is a 91 percent drop, and a powerful argument for building wildlife crossings into highway planning from the start. Wildlife overpasses are becoming more common in initial road planning, the report noted, precisely because they are so effective at making sure both people and animals can get around without one coming at the expense of the other.
A model for other highways
Colorado’s overpass is the largest in North America, but its lesson is scalable: fencing that guides animals to safe crossings, plus bridges and underpasses wide enough for animals to actually use, saves lives on both sides of the windshield. For drivers, it means fewer crashes. For wildlife, it means a connected habitat instead of a highway barrier. Ten months, two collisions, one very busy highway — and a model that other states are now watching closely.
