DWR warns of wildlife on Utah highways

In an image captured by remote camera, a doe and fawn use a wildlife crossing in Utah to safely avoid a busy highway. USU researchers, in partnership with UDOT, UDWR and the State of Utah’s Automated Geographic Reference Center,  have developed a new smartphone app to keep track of wildlife-vehicle collisions. Image courtesy of Patricia Cramer/USU.

LOGAN – Deer have been littering the roadways in Cache Valley recently, but the animal carcasses could be lot worse if it wasn’t for the wildlife crossings the Utah Department of Transportation have built.

Wildlife crossings like this on have cut down on deer vehicle collisions since they were installed in Utah.

DOT made history when it completed the first wildlife overpass in the U.S. in 1975 on I-15 near Beaver.

Today there are 119 structures around the state to allow wildlife, including fish, to safely pass by highways and roads.

These structures have proven to keep wildlife from being hit on Utah’s Highways. They are being built with the collaboration of various land management agencies, private landowners, and other partners.

UDOT and Utah Department of Wildlife Resources estimate 4,900 deer were killed in vehicle collisions and removed from roadways in 2022. The number of deer killed is likely significantly higher because many incidents go unreported.

Due to the crossing structures across the state those numbers could be much higher.

In Utah, the majority of the big game animals killed in wildlife/vehicle collisions are deer, primarily because they are the most abundant big game animal in the state, but also because they migrate between winter and summer ranges each year.

Blair Stringham, DWR’s Wildlife Migration Initiative Coordinator, said deer typically follow the same migration routes every year.

Many of those routes intersect roadways, which the deer will often try to cross, regardless of traffic,” he said. “However, simply putting up fences can limit the migration opportunities for deer and other wildlife, and it’s not possible to fence every stretch of highway across the state.”

Stringham said it’s important to ensure the passage of wildlife in these areas through the installation of properly placed wildlife structures.”

Studies have shown there is a 90% reduction in wildlife/vehicle collisions when there is a crossing structure and fence in the area, so the DWR has been working with UDOT to identify areas where migration routes cross roadways and these solutions can be implemented. Both agencies help fund the projects, and UDOT oversees the building and maintenance of the structures.

“Efforts like the Migration Corridor Preservation Project show that by teaming up with local governments, positive impacts can extend beyond our right-of-way,” UDOT Natural Resource Manager Matt Howard said. “We are excited to be partnering with communities to improve wildlife migration and make Utah roads safer for everyone.”

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