Press Release: Roaring Fork Safe Passages Tours Vail Pass Wildlife Underpass
Site visit highlights construction progress on new wildlife crossings
ROARING FORK VALLEY, Colo. –Aug. 11, 2026–Roaring Fork Safe Passages joined Kiewit Construction for an on-site tour of a wildlife underpass that is in the final stages of construction on Vail Pass, with the goal of helping wildlife safely cross under the highway.
The group included the Roaring Fork Safe Passages team, Kiewit Construction project representatives, Pitkin County Commissioners Ted Mahon and Greg Poschman, and local athlete and wildlife crossing advocate Chris Davenport. Kiewit representatives presented an overview of the project's phased construction approach, engineering, and wildlife-specific design features, followed by a walking tour of the construction site.
The two underpasses, corrugated steel arch structures fabricated by Contech, are being built in two phases so traffic can continue flowing on I-70 throughout construction: one underpass measures roughly 40 feet wide by 12.5 feet tall, the other about 50 feet wide by 15 feet tall.
Wildlife-vehicle collisions remain a persistent safety and conservation challenge along Colorado's mountain highways, and the Vail Pass underpasses offer a real-world example for the crossings Roaring Fork Safe Passages is advocating for in the Roaring Fork Valley along Highway 82 and 133. Seeing active construction firsthand gave the group a tangible look at how these projects come together, and the difference they make for both drivers and wildlife.
"Every wildlife crossing built is proof of concept. Vail Pass shows what's achievable when engineering and conservation come together, and it's exactly the kind of infrastructure we need in our valley before more lives are lost." – Cecily DeAngelo, Executive Director, Roaring Fork Safe Passages
Media Note
For a selection of images from the site visit, please click here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/13iVvZC7NbpGuwaPHiKzcsw6amS4yYuLM?usp=sharing
About Roaring Fork Safe Passages
Roaring Fork Safe Passages is a citizen-led advocacy organization working to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions in the Roaring Fork Valley by planning and building wildlife crossing infrastructure, overpasses, underpasses, and fencing, in partnership with local residents, government agencies, and state partners. For more information about Roaring Fork Safe Passages, visit www.roaringforksafepassages.org. Follow Roaring Fork Safe Passages @roaringforksafepassages on Instagram or at https://www.facebook.com/p/Roaring-Fork-Safe-Passages-100088297944222/.
About Kiewit
Kiewit is one of North America’s largest and most respected construction and engineering organizations. WIth its roots dating back to 1884, the employee-owned organization operates through a network of subsidiaries in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Guam. Kiewit offers construction and engineering services in a variety of markets, including power; transportation; industrial; water; oil, gas and chemical; marine; building and mining. Kiewit had 2025 revenues of $18.2 billion and employees 34,500 staff and craft employees.
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