Aspen Wildlife Crossing Proposal Addresses Critical Valley Problem

Highway 82 has created a divide in the Roaring Fork Valley.

The presence of the four-lane highway between critical pieces of habitat for multiple species not only presents a threat to ungulate populations such as deer, elk, moose, and other animals, but also a threat to public safety, as well.

“That’s the tragedy of Highway 82,” said Cecily DeAngelo, executive director of Roaring Fork Safe Passages.

Within the six-mile stretch of Highway 82 between the city of Aspen and the Aspen/Pitkin County Airport, wildlife-vehicle collisions account for 55% of all reported accidents between 2014 to 2023; they make up 30% of the crashes on Highway 82 between Glenwood Springs and Aspen.

“This is a big health and safety issue,” environmental journalist and author Ben Goldfarb said. “And, of course, it’s a wildlife conservation issue.”

While DeAngelo confirmed there have been no fatalities from wildlife-vehicle collisions thus far in the valley, she’s still concerned with the potential for it going forward. She noted that working families typically spend the most hours using the Highway 82 roadway to commute for work.

“We know wildlife-vehicle collisions are really dangerous for drivers and cause immense property damage,” Goldfarb added.

According to the Colorado Department of Transportation, wildlife-vehicle collisions cost Colorado up to $80 million dollars a year in expenses or costs related to those collisions.

Goldfarb also highlighted the significant impact on wildlife populations that wildlife-vehicle collisions have. Roadkill is something he said “can take a big toll on a population.”

“It’s important to think about the defense mechanism of so many of the species we love,” he said. “Stand your ground strategies worked really well for thousands of generations against natural predators. But if your predator is an F-150 barreling down 82, those … strategies won’t be very effective.”

And the impact isn’t just felt by the individual animals who die on the road. Habitat fragmentation is a critical symptom that threatens entire populations.

“Those animals are losing access to important habitat,” Goldfarb said. “It’s not just about the animals that get killed.”

Roaring Fork Safe Passages has developed a mitigation strategy for Highway 82 — a proposed Sky Mountain Underpass north of the Aspen/Pitkin County Airport and Brush Creek Wildlife Overpass — to alleviate some of the barriers the highway poses to wildlife. Fencing also helps keep animals off the highway and funnel them to the crossings.

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“In both cases, these structures are going to be optimized for ungulate use,” DeAngelo said. “In particular, we will be wanting to ensure both elk and moose are able and willing to use the structures.”

Other animals would also be able to use the underpass and overpass, including bears, bobcats, deer, and more.

“We know they work,” Goldfarb said of wildlife crossings and fencing going hand-in-hand, “both for driver safety and for wildlife movement and migration.”

He pointed to Highway 191 in Pinedale, Wyoming, where mule deer and pronghorn were getting “obliterated” while attempting to use their migration corridors. Collisions were reduced by more than 80% with the establishment of wildlife crossings.

“Ultimately, wildlife crossings are the best tools in our arsenal,” he said. “Signs aren’t very effective. Speed limit reductions are helpful in theory. The one thing that is also helpful is reducing the number of cars on the road.”

DeAngelo confirmed the choice of an underpass near the airport and an overpass near Brush Creek is due to the already-existing topography. The underpass will go where there is already a culvert, although the culvert is currently not large or light enough to be attractive to elk. The overpass is recommended near Brush Creek because an underpass would disrupt an existing buried gas line and the shale there also presents hazards to dig into.

“But it’s not set in stone,” she said of the proposal. “That’s why we’re asking people to come forward with comments, concerns. This is a big change to our landscape.”

Community members are able to provide public comment on the recommended wildlife crossings through a survey open until Sept. 5. The survey, along with additional information, can be accessed at surveymonkey.com/r/BFTF7DM.

So far, DeAngelo said about 350 people have answered the survey. Her aim is to get at least 1,000 people to provide public input.

“This is one of the most important things people could do at this moment to help us out,” she said. “I think in our valley, we could tackle and reduce wildlife vehicle collisions, ensuring that we have a much safer roadway. Drivers would be able to commute in this valley without the concern of a large animal stepping out in front of their car … (and) we would be ensuring the vitality of these herds, wildlife, and biodiversity.”

While wildlife crossings are a critical community conversation and investment, Goldfarb also underscored that wildlife crossings are only the first step.

“It’s really important that wildlife crossings be paired with land conservation,” he said. “In Pitkin County and the Roaring Fork Valley, we’re seeing incredibly rapid development. Wildlife crossings are powerless to address that problem.”

Without the preserved habitat, he said, “all you have are bridges to nowhere.”