Roaring Fork Safe Passages discusses plans with Aspen

by Skyler Stark-Ragsdale

Thirty percent of recent vehicle crashes in the Roaring Fork Valley were due to wildlife-vehicle collisions, resulting in an estimated $5.2 million of damage. 

That’s according to 2012 to 2021 data presented in Monday’s Aspen City Council Work Session by Roaring Fork Safe Passages, a local nonprofit committed to mitigating wildlife-vehicle collision risk through infrastructure projects on Colorado Highways 82 and 133. 

“There’s consequences for drivers,” Julia Kintsch, senior ecologist at Denver’s ECO-Resolutions who was contracted by Roaring Fork Safe Passages, said of the impact of wildlife collisions. “There’s consequences for wildlife mortality and wildlife connectivity.”

The nonprofit hopes to gather support from local and state entities to be eligible for a federal bill introduced this year that would provide regions across the country with funding to mitigate wildlife collisions. The stipulation, however, is that the local communities, like the Roaring Fork Valley, must match the federal offer with local and state dollars to be eligible.

“This is huge, and exciting, and could fund big critical projects across the nation,” Roaring Fork Safe Passages’ Tucker Vest Burton said. 

The nonprofit identified five areas along Highway 82 as collision mitigation priorities — between Aspen/Pitkin County Airport and Woody Creek, in Snowmass Canyon, in Basalt, by the Catherine community between El Jebel and Carbondale, and the area of highway just north of the Cattle Creek confluence with the Roaring Fork River. Safe Passages also identified an area of Highway 133 just south of the Prince Creek, Crystal River confluence as a priority. 

Safe Passages’ most immediate goal is to mitigate the risk of wildlife-vehicle collisions in a roughly six-mile section between the Aspen/Pitkin County Airport and Aspen Village by building five wildlife overpasses and underpasses in areas of heavy elk migration. Fifty-five percent of reported vehicle accidents in that area are the result of wildlife collisions, with 34% caused by elk, according to data presented by Roaring Fork Safe Passages. 

Apart from more immediate improvements to wildlife fencing infrastructure and driver-site-obstructing vegetation, the nonprofit aims to first build a wildlife underpass below Highway 82 just northwest of the airport and an overpass just southeast of the Brush Creek Park & Ride. It expects the two projects to cost between $22.4 million and $32.5 million. It then hopes to build a wildlife underpass below Highway 82 by the intersection of Woods Road, and two wildlife overpasses over Highway 82 at Wildcat Ranch and Aspen Village. It expects these projects to cost between $34.5 million and $50 million.

According to a survey conducted by Safe Passages between July and September, 96% of the 732 survey respondents supported wildlife crossings between the Aspen/Pitkin County Airport and Cozy Point, including the construction of an underpass and overpass. 

While the nonprofit didn’t immediately ask for Aspen’s financial support, Roaring Fork Safe Passages Founder Cecily DeAngelo told council the organization would “love the participation of Aspen in the future.”

Aspen City Council showed support for Safe Passages’ goals, although Aspen Mayor Rachael Richards suggested the organization might consider striving to pass a county-wide property tax, rather than fight other local causes for donations. 

“I’m not discouraging that,” Richards said. “I’m just saying there becomes a point at which, when you want something really taken care of, you put a dedicated funding source towards it.”