Crews are nearing completion of a new wildlife underpass in southeast Idaho after the public, nonprofit agencies, conservation groups, and government agencies pushed for years to protect migrating wildlife herds and drivers.
The Rocky Point Wildlife Underpass is expected to be completed this fall along U.S. Highway 30, south of Montpelier in Bear Lake County, public officials and conservationists announced jointly this week.
The wildlife crossing features three underpasses, as well as extensive fencing on either side of the project to direct animals like deer to the wildlife crossing.
“We were seeing just all kinds of problems there; we were losing at least 100 deer a year,” Idaho Transportation Department public information officer Justin Smith said in an interview Wednesday. “Over 10 years, that is 1,000 animals we know we lost.”
Officials also said those collisions cost drivers and taxpayers millions of dollars every year.
“Our primary concern is the safety of the traveling public. Whether they are going through a construction zone or whether they are in a wildlife area, we want to keep people safe on our highways, and this is part of that effort,” Smith said.
The Rocky Point Wildlife Underpass represents a partnership between the Idaho Transportation Department, Idaho Department of Fish and Game, the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, the Idaho Conservation League, and Bear Lake County, officials said.
“Rocky Point shows what’s possible when agencies, conservation, and sporting groups, and local communities work toward the same goal,” Matt Lucia, Idaho conservation manager at the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, said in a written statement. “[The Greater Yellowstone Coalition] has been part of this project for years — contributing time, energy, and funds toward the effort. The next step is making sure the federal funding that made this project possible stays available.”
To build the crossing, the Idaho Transportation Department secured a $20.8 million grant from the Federal Highway Administration’s Wildlife Crossing Pilot Program. Funding comes from the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that was passed by Congress and signed into law by former President Joe Biden in 2021.
The federal grant was estimated to cover 98% of the construction costs, but the project may come in under budget, allowing the state to return some of the money to the Federal Highway Administration, Smith said.
Idaho’s first major highway wildlife crossing was built outside of Boise in 2023
The Rocky Point Wildlife Underpass near Montpelier is the second major wildlife highway crossing in Idaho.
In 2023, crews built the Cervidae Peak Wildlife Overpass on Idaho Highway 21 near Lucky Peak, between Boise and Idaho City.
The Cervidae overpass features more than one mile of big game fencing to direct the animals to the safe crossing.
Fish and Game officials installed a wildlife camera at the crossing to document how it is working. In 2024, state officials posted a time-lapse video showing more than 1,000 deer safely using the Cervidae Peak Wildlife Overpass between Oct. 17, 2024, and Dec. 18, 2024.
Smith said officials with the Idaho Transportation Department are studying other highway corridors with heavy wildlife populations, and the state is open to pursuing other new wildlife crossings as well.
“It is something that as Idaho’s population continues to grow, we need to look at ways to protect drivers and protect the wildlife,” Smith said. “It’s something we continue to look at.”
“We’re always open to doing what needs to be done for the safety of the traveling public; that is our primary concern,” Smith added. “We will continue to look at these projects as ways to improve the safety on our highways.”
The Idaho Legislature has also called for more wildlife crossings. In March, the Idaho Legislature adopted Senate Concurrent Resolution 124.
The resolution encourages the Idaho Legislature, Idaho’s congressional delegation, the governor, the Idaho Transportation Department, and Fish and Game to recognize and support wildlife corridors to improve public safety and protect big game migration corridors.
“The Legislature strongly supports the advancement of public safety and conservation of Idaho’s big game migration corridors through the development and implementation of wildlife crossings where appropriate and supported by local communities,” the resolution states.
This article was originally published on Idaho Capital Sun.
Featured Image: Courtesy of Greater Yellowstone Coalition
