More wildlife crossings are being planned for US Highway 26 over Togwotee Pass. Daryl Lutz with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department says biologists and Department of Transportation engineers are narrowing in on plans to reduce wildlife vehicle collisions along a 35-mile stretch near Dubois. Lutz says state-of-the-art radio GPS collars helped finalize the best spots for wildlife crossings.
“Literally tens of thousands of location datapoints, from elk, mule deer and bighorn sheep. That has helped us delineate where wildlife most frequently approach and/or cross the highway.”
Wildlife-vehicle collisions along this section of Highway 26 kill up to 250 animals each year, at a cost of more than 800-thousand dollars in property damage, emergency response and cleanup. After engineering plans are set, Lutz expects workers to break ground on one overpass, three underpasses, and modifications to four other structures within the next year or two.
