BOISE, Idaho — The Idaho Transportation Department is nearing completion of a $22 million wildlife crossing project on U.S. 30 at Rocky Point, where repeated wildlife-vehicle collisions have created a safety and infrastructure challenge along a major migration route near the Idaho-Wyoming border.
The project is using federal and U.S. Department of Agriculture funding to construct wildlife underpasses, fencing and animal escape structures designed to separate migrating mule deer from highway traffic. Construction is scheduled for completion this fall and is expected to finish significantly under budget.
Rocky Point is located in a narrow canyon between two mountain ranges and serves as a migration corridor for thousands of mule deer each spring and fall. The area has recorded more than 100 wildlife-vehicle collisions annually, with the economic cost of those incidents estimated at approximately $2 million per year.
To reduce those collisions, ITD designed a system consisting of two box-culvert underpasses and a bridge, supported by fencing that directs wildlife toward the crossings. Jump-outs have also been installed to allow animals that enter the highway side of the fencing to safely return to the surrounding landscape.
The project is intended to address both transportation safety and wildlife-migration needs without requiring motorists to navigate frequent animal crossings on the roadway.
ITD secured a $20.8 million grant through the Federal Highway Administration's Wildlife Crossing Pilot Program. The grant covers approximately 98% of construction costs for the three underpasses.
An additional $1.2 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture is supporting part of the fencing needed to connect two of the structures through the primary mule deer travel corridor.
The project recently hosted federal, state and regional stakeholders at the construction site, providing an opportunity to review the underpass work and the relationship between transportation infrastructure, wildlife movement and public safety.
For transportation contractors and infrastructure owners, the Rocky Point project illustrates how federal grant programs can support specialized highway improvements that combine conventional civil construction with environmental mitigation. Wildlife crossings, fencing and related infrastructure are increasingly being incorporated into transportation projects where roadway safety and habitat connectivity overlap.
The project also demonstrates the potential for targeted infrastructure investments to address recurring costs associated with vehicle collisions while improving the resilience and functionality of existing highway corridors.
Source: Idaho Transportation Department.
