Colorado county receives $725,000 to fund wildlife crossings on I-70
A new $725,000 grant awarded to Summit County will advance the East Vail Pass Wildlife Crossing Project, which seeks to create wildlife crossings on I-70.
According to a news release from Summit County, $450,000 comes from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s 2024 RESTORE Grant Program funding awards. Another $275,000 will come from the Colorado Wildlife Safe Passages Fund. The money will advance project design.
A study conducted in 2020 between Summit County Safe Passages and the U.S. Forest Service recommended two wildlife underpasses and one overpass along the westbound lanes of I-70 between Cooper Mountain and Vail Pass. The wildlife crossings would ideally improve wildlife passage and reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions.
Currently, there are large bridges under the eastbound lanes that allow wildlife to pass through. However, passage across both sides of the highway requires wildlife to directly cross the westbound lanes.
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