Why Highway 82 Needs Wildlife Crossings: Ten Inches Between Life and Death
by Nate Hill
Once upon a time on a seemingly typical spring evening in April of 2024, I hopped in my trusty Subaru Outback to pick up my wife from ASE for an 8:30 pm arrival. The weather was clear and the road conditions were dry, traffic was delightfully non-existent. I was born and raised here in the valley, and have always been aware of the constant danger of wildlife on our roads. I recall and still practice lessons I learned in drivers ed class in regard to constantly scanning the sides of the road to look for the movement or eye reflections of an animal getting too close to the road.
None of these practices however were enough to prevent what is probably the closest call I have ever had to meeting my maker on the evening of April 11th. I was nearing the airport and just coming out of the shale bluffs section, and certainly not speeding. (The Subaru does not go very fast). I was in the left lane, about 5 feet from the cement dividers. My Subaru is not very tall compared to many cars, and my headlights were below the height of the cement dividers essentially meaning I could not see over the top of them, nor what might be in the down valley lanes heading my way.
What shocked me most (and still does) was how little reaction time I had to what was coming. To this day I can still see the mental image engraved in my mind of the large elk that jumped over the cement divider at top speed. It was still in full stride from leaping over the cement divider and was about 5 feet in front of my hood, and 4 feet off of the ground. It became clear to me in an instant that this elk was going to go straight through the windshield directly at where I was sitting. I recall making a hard right turn in the moments before impact, and this bought me what I believe to be 10 inches that saved my life.
The head and antlers of the elk crashed through my windshield, the only things I recall from that moment was how tremendously loud the impact was, followed by the sensation of broken glass sandblasting any exposed skin I had. I found patches of elk hair imbedded on the ceiling of my car a mere few inches from where my head was. Thanks to that 10 inches of a right hand turn I was able to manage before impact, the center of weight of the elk was to the left hand side of the car, causing it to 'fold' around the driver side, breaking all side windows and smashing the doors. I cannot thank the driver side column enough for holding strong.
This experience has changed how I drive now, at night I will often be going a bit below the speed limit, and any time a loved one is driving at dusk or evening I'm now always the one to say "slow down and watch out for dear out there.”
Our wonderful valley certainly needs to address this issue. The amount of struck dear and elk on highway 82 is unacceptable. We live deep in the mountains, and have constructed our highway in a fashion that blocks necessary migration patterns. We have created this problem, and the solution is simple. Create wildlife crossings that do not endanger our precious four-legged friends, and protects the lives of our citizens that need to travel on this dangerous stretch of road.
