Bipartisan Bill to Prevent Motor Vehicle Collisions and Protect Colorado's Wildlife Introduced in Senate
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
[DENVER, March 16, 2026] – Colorado lawmakers Senator Dylan Roberts (D, SD-8), Senate Minority Leader Cleave Simpson (R, SD-6), Speaker Julie McCluskie (D, HD-13), and Representative Rick Taggart (R, HD-55) today introduced the Wildlife Collision Prevention Act (SB26-141), a crucial measure to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions across the state.
“This a great step toward reducing human-animal collisions and keeping everyone that travels our state safe. I am excited to build upon our great work across Colorado, including the I-25 Greenland Wildlife Crossing, which is the largest in North America. These efforts can reduce these crashes by more than 90%, saving lives and money, and will expand on our success to build more infrastructure across Colorado to keep human and animal travelers safe,” said Governor Jared Polis.
Vehicle collisions with wildlife are a significant concern in Colorado, costing lives, damaging property, and placing financial burdens on families. The total estimated annual cost of wildlife-vehicle collisions in the state is $321 million – the highest among western states – with the average cost of hitting a deer exceeding $23,700. These incidents also contribute to the loss of valuable wildlife populations, impacting the health of the state’s herds – and therefore the quality of our hunting seasons – and the state’s $65.8 billion outdoor recreation economy. Notably, hunters generate $1.6 billion in spending and support 12,410 jobs in Colorado.
“We are excited to give Colorado drivers the opportunity to build the Collision Prevention Fund and ensure that our state is strongly investing in wildlife crossing and safety infrastructure - a proven way to prevent collisions, stop human and animal deaths, and save drivers money,” said State Senator Dylan Roberts. “After years of work, we are excited to bring this bipartisan bill forward that proposes a commonsense way for our state to prioritize funding for this road safety infrastructure.”
State transportation officials nationwide have identified a lack of funding as the primary barrier to building wildlife crossing structures and safer transportation infrastructure for drivers and other road users. The bipartisan legislation introduced today addresses that problem in Colorado by establishing a new “Collision Prevention Fund” with dedicated, annual funding for wildlife crossing projects, including conservation of habitat on either side of the crossings to ensure that animals can continue to access them in perpetuity. This new account will be funded by an optional $5 fee that Colorado residents can voluntarily choose to pay during the vehicle registration process. These dollars can also be used for federal grant match requirements, allowing Colorado taxpayers dollars to be leveraged for a greater return on this initial investment. Across the political spectrum, 87% of Coloradans support building wildlife crossings, according to recent polling.
Senate Minority Leader, Cleave Simpson, added, “In rural Colorado, our highways are lifelines for our communities, but they’re also dangerous where drivers can hit our precious wildlife, often resulting in injury or death. These collisions are dangerous, costly, and far too common. Investing in wildlife crossings is a practical infrastructure solution that keeps animals off the road and people safer behind the wheel. This bill is about protecting rural drivers, supporting our local economies, and making smart investments in the infrastructure that helps people get home safely to their families.”Wildlife crossing structures – such as overpasses or underpasses that allow animals to safely cross roads – have proven to yield a high return on investment by significantly reducing collision rates. For instance, a series of wildlife crossings on State Highway 9 near Kremmling, Colorado reduced crashes with wildlife by 92%.
“Wildlife collisions are very common in the High Country, putting drivers and Colorado’s wildlife at risk of dangerous accidents and driving up insurance costs,” said Speaker Julie McCluskie. “Wildlife crossings have shown incredible success at preventing these collisions, with the Kremmling crossing reducing collisions by 92 percent. The legislation we’re introducing today would help fund new wildlife crossings to keep drivers safe, save Coloradans money on car insurance costs and protect Colorado’s wildlife.”
In addition to saving lives, these projects will reduce insurance claims and minimize costly road closures. According to CDOT, every hour the I-70 mountain corridor is closed costs the surrounding communities up to $2 million in lost economic activity. Relatedly, a diverse coalition of interests is working with CDOT to create three new wildlife crossings on I-70 at East Vail Pass that would facilitate safe passage for wildlife – including threatened Canada lynx – in Colorado’s central mountains.
“Too many Coloradans on the Western Slope know the dangers and costs that come with wildlife vehicle collisions on our highways. By making smart, targeted investments in wildlife crossings, we can protect drivers, reduce costly crashes, and stretch our state dollars further by bringing more federal funding to Colorado. These projects have a proven track record of cutting collisions dramatically while keeping our iconic wildlife moving safely across the landscape. It’s a practical, bipartisan solution that saves lives, protects property, and delivers real value for Coloradans,” added Representative Rick Taggart.
Community Support for legislation
Impacted by Wildlife Vehicle Collisions“One of the driving passions behind the Highway 9 projects was that I lost my parents on that corridor. It was an opportunity for the community to have a safer road. When the project was completed, the wildlife fencing and crossings made a big difference to the safety to traveling on this part of the Highway 9 Corridor.”- Rancher Mike Ritschard
“My father was coming home from a weekend away in the mountains with family, and an oncoming motorist hit an elk that stopped my dad’s vehicle dead in its tracks. It dawned on me when my father was killed that there was no wildlife fencing or protection for animals or for humans in that stretch of highway. Providing funding to build wildlife crossings could absolutely save people’s lives. Noone should go through what we’ve gone through.” - Mary Rodriguez, whose father was killed in a wildlife-vehicle collision
Emergency Responders“Investing in crash prevention projects isn’t just the right thing to do—it’s the smart thing to do. We can build safer roads for drivers and wildlife alike. Colorado lawmakers have a choice: they can take decisive action to protect lives and preserve our state’s natural heritage, or they can allow these preventable tragedies to continue. The time to act is now.” - Dr. Karen Ekernas, MD, MPH is an Emergency Physician in Denver.
“The legislation will make our roads safer for all Coloradans while also helping wildlife migrate between important habitats. Wildlife-vehicle collisions put our state’s drivers and first responders at risk. The Pew Charitable Trusts is thankful to the bill’s sponsors and hopeful that the Colorado Legislature passes the Wildlife Collision Prevention Act to make the Centennial State’s roads safer for people and wildlife alike.” - Patrick Lane, senior manager, U.S. conservation project, The Pew Charitable Trusts and volunteer firefighter
Sportsmen Groups “Wildlife-vehicle collisions cost Colorado drivers an estimated $321 million every year, and in some mule deer herds more does are killed by vehicle strikes than can be legally harvested by hunters. Investing in wildlife crossings is a common-sense solution that protects motorists while keeping migration corridors open for the big game herds that are central to Colorado’s hunting heritage.” - Devin O’Dea, Western Policy & Conservation Manager, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers
"This bill will dramatically reduce vehicle collisions with elk and deer by helping to fund installation of crucial wildlife crossings infrastructure at hotspots listed by CDOT and Colorado Parks and Wildlife.” - Suzanne O'Neill, Executive Director, Colorado Wildlife Federation
Organizations “Almost 10 years ago, a survey of 500+ transportation agency representatives identified funding as the #1 barrier to investing in wildlife infrastructure. By ensuring Continuous Funding for Wildlife Collision Prevention, this bill would make our roads safer for both people and wildlife, all while supporting Colorado’s $18 billion outdoor recreation economy.”- Renee Callahan, Executive Director, ARC Solutions
“Today’s introduction of the Continuous Funding for Wildlife Collision Prevention bill reflects Colorado’s leadership in addressing long-term protections for its people and wildlife amid habitat loss and increased traffic on our roadways—a priority that is bipartisan nationwide. Polling finds that 87% of Americans support restoring or preserving wildlife habitat connectivity and improving migration corridors on lands and waters within and beyond park borders. Wildlife in Rocky Mountain, Mesa Verde, and many other national parks frequently travel outside of park boundaries, and this legislation provides critical and innovative conservation solutions statewide while complimenting recent introduction of bipartisan wildlife crossings bills in Congress.” -Tracy Coppola, Colorado Senior Program Manager, National Parks Conservation Association
“Wildlife crossings not only save lives by preventing collisions, but they also keep critical elk, deer, and other wildlife habitat connected by keeping movement corridors intact. These corridors help ensure that Colorado’s big game populations continue to thrive, preserving the state’s rich wildlife heritage and maintaining its robust outdoor tourism economy. The Center for Large Landscape Conservation thanks Senator Roberts and Speaker McCluskie for their sponsorship, and urges the Colorado Legislature to pass Wildlife Collision Prevention Act .”- Greg Costello, U.S. Connectivity Program Director, Center for Large Landscape Conservation
"Summit County Safe Passages has been a grateful beneficiary of state and federal funding in recent years that has helped move our vision for wildlife crossings on I-70 at East Vail Pass closer to reality. We whole-heartedly support legislation that can keep fueling win-win infrastructure projects across Colorado to benefit the safety of motorists and wildlife." - Julia Kintsch, President, Summit County Safe Passages
“Wildlife crossings that reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions and improve habitat connectivity are win-win solutions for people and nature in Colorado. These crossings will become even more beneficial as our climate and the landscape of our state continue to change, creating challenges for wildlife movement. This voluntary funding mechanism gives Coloradans a new way to support future wildlife crossings that reduce human-wildlife conflicts and contribute to a more resilient future.” - Dr. Andrew Rayburn, director of conservation science, The Nature Conservancy in Colorado
"This forward thinking bill not only establishes a mechanism to generate the funding to build and maintain new crossing infrastructure, which allows wildlife safe passage over or under our roads, but by enabling the voluntary conservation of lands that border those crossings it allows for a broader, landscape-scale approach. This widened view ensures that wildlife can cross our roads safely, and the natural migration and connected habitats essential to their survival are considered in full. This bill is a chance to protect the iconic Colorado species we know and love, in the places they've always called home."- Brendan Witt, policy advisor, Western Resource Advocates
