The Colorado Department of Transportation recently reached the 50 percent completion point for its I-25 Greenland Wildlife Overpass project located between Larkspur and Monument; what will be the world’s largest interstate-spanning bridge structure for wildlife once finished.
[Above photo by Colorado DOT]
With the project reaching the halfway point, the structure to support the bridge has gone up, including foundation work of piers, columns, and the installation of 76 bridge girders; 38 over each direction of I-25. It is 200 feet wide and 209 feet long, covering 41,800 square feet or nearly an acre.
The remaining work includes building the bridge superstructure over the girders, pouring the concrete bridge deck, building walls, grading slopes, preparing the soil and wildlife landscaping, and installing wildlife fencing.
The bridge structure is expected to be completed in late 2025 with landscaping and other work to finish in 2026, noted Shoshana Lew, Colorado DOT executive director.
“This overpass is the final link in a system that will make I-25 safer for both drivers and wildlife,” she said in a statement. “By completing the wildlife crossing network from Castle Rock to Monument, we expect to cut vehicle-animal collisions by 90 percent. This is an achievement for both public safety and conservation, and it is a result of the support from our federal delegation, Douglas County, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and many other partners.”
The overpass addresses specific needs for elk and pronghorn that move around in the Greenland area, Colorado DOT added, depending on the season.
Both species prefer to cross open structures that provide clear and open sightlines.
The agency noted that this stretch of I-25 between Castle Rock and Monument where the overpass is being installed experienced one wild-life vehicle crash a day in the spring and fall seasons.
This new overpass, in combination with five nearby wildlife underpasses, is expected to significantly reduce that crash rate and thus greatly improve safe passage for Colorado motorists and wildlife alike.
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