FRISCO – Data from a Colorado Department of Transportation roadkill survey says drivers in Colorado killed nearly 7,000 wild animals last year, resulting in two human deaths and almost 400 injuries.
The Summit Daily News says that represents about a 50 percent increase in wildlife collisions during the past four years.
Data show the recent construction of several wildlife crossings on Colorado Highway 9 appear to be working. Since the Colorado Department of Transportation completed two overpasses and five underpasses on a 10-mile stretch of road, collisions have decreased by 87 percent.
Federal, state and local officials have identified other hot spots where they would like to build wildlife crossings, specifically on Interstate-70 east, Colorado Highway 91 and Highway 9.