US6 Wildlife Crossing Alternatives

I am glad to see alternatives are being considered, as drivers tend to ignore the at-grade crossings. I agree with the many comments about creating an overpass and would like to see this happen. It just makes sense.
Joanne S.

Overall it would seem for elk movement a overpass would be more amenable to their character than a underpass. While the options by the engineers/planners listed a overpass and the least desirable from cost and continued elk impact to the golf course, biologically it is probably the best for the elk to utilize and work with nature on keeping our western values - elk herds are part of our landscape. It also moves the elk to a space that is not right in line with walking/biking trails along the gulch and away from leading them straight into neighborhoods.

Are there any updates regarding the status of this project? Thanks so much.
- Nathan

Where can I find a update to this project?

The growth of our city and the surrounding metro area was not developed with concern for the wild species that share this space. By 1913, Elk were completely wiped out from Colorado, much like the bison. The recovery of the elk population in our state is a huge conservation success story, but the process of learning how to sustain their recovery is not over. In the past couple of years, the elk populations have been dropping again. It has been conjectured that the rapid increase of development and recreation in our state has impacted the natural patterns and behaviors of the elk, possibly causing an increase in offspring mortality. No one project or development is likely to cause these problems, but collectively, continued isolation of elk to more limited habitat and movement cannot help. I do not feign to regard the urban area we have created as critical habitat or migration corridor, as this time has long past. However, it is important to consider if small actions that maintain or improve animal movement and habitat could support a larger objective of supporting wildlife while our urban environment continues to grow.
The resident elk herd in Golden ranges all the way to the opposite side of South Table Mountain and are a highlight of residents and visitors alike. They are a symbol of the “American West” and represent a part of our natural history and culture. The current animal crossing has gone a long way to help fatalities, and it would be hard to imagine creating a condition that further limits their current patterns of movement and access to resources. If you are going to widen the tunnel for animals to cross, that is great, but don’t remove the current animal crossing. If you want to support animal crossing and further reduce fatalities, then take our time and create the bridge when funding is available.

Thank you for working to address the wildlife-vehicle collision situation at this spot in the first place, and for recognizing the importance to facilitating safe crossings and landscape movement for wildlife. Under normal circumstances, I would prefer a dedicated wildlife overpass, as overpasses are simply better for wildlife movement, more likely to be used by a wider variety of species, and would help to separate animal and human use (which usually leads to greater human safety and higher animal use). However, in this location, and with these particular elk and deer populations, which are greatly habituated to human activity and infrastructure already, it seems acceptable (and likely more cost effective) to widen and improve the multi-use underpass instead. The only risk in doing so is the speed at which bikers can enter the underpass from either direction, given the grade of the existing bike path. Perhaps a reconfiguration of the underpass would help? Either way, the bottom line is that using one of those two proven methods to address the wildlife-vehicle collision risk at this location is important and broadly supported by residents in the area.

Co-opting the existing pedestrian underpass seems like a horrible idea, given the location of that underpass. It would be trapping the animals into a far more humanized environment, and potentially cause some bad collisions, as it's right at the bottom of a steep hill, with blind curves, that is used by quite a number of cyclists. Please keep the location of the crossing where it is, and convert to either an underpass or overpass.

I would love to see an overpass for the wildlife like the ones on Route 9 between Silverthorne and Kremmling.