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- Utah received a $9.6M grant to improve safety on U.S. 40 in Wasatch and Duchesne counties.
- The funds will help add wildlife fencing and retrofit underpasses within a 23-mile stretch of the highway.
- Wildlife crossings aim to reduce collisions, enhancing safety for both animals and drivers.
SALT LAKE CITY — State transportation officials say animal interactions account for more than half of the crashes along a 23-mile stretch of U.S. 40 between Wasatch and Duchesne counties, but now they're getting a funding boost to potentially help curb the problem.
The Utah Department of Transportation received a $9.6 million grant from the Rural Surface Transportation Grant Program, which added to a portion of the $20 million that Utah leaders had set aside for wildlife collision projects.
The money will be used to add 23 miles of wildlife fencing along the highway, starting in eastern Wasatch County and ending by Starvation Reservoir near Duchesne County, according to the agency. Crews will also retrofit three existing — and heavily trafficked — wildlife underpasses, while a fourth pass will be constructed somewhere between Fruitland and Starvation Reservoir.
Matt Howard, UDOT's natural resource manager, said the road section was identified through meetings with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. The two sides reviewed data through a roadkill app they jointly created along with migration patterns of animals with GPS collars on them, which led them to find a need by the Currant Creek Wildlife Management Area east of Fruitland.
Wildlife crossings and fencing have become more common because they solve two problems. First, they benefit wildlife biology because animals can safely cross roads that previously hindered migration patterns and divided herds.
"Roadkill reports indicate that animals attempting to cross (U.S. 40) are getting hit by vehicles at high rates," Makeda Hanson, a wildlife migration initiative coordinator for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, said in a statement. "The new fencing will reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions and funnel wildlife to safe crossing locations that connect habitats across this route."
Second, they can make roadways safer. Animal activity accounted for about 60% of all traffic crashes on the section of the highway over the past seven years, according to UDOT. The corridor itself draws in a lot of oil-related truck traffic, as well as traffic from people recreating to parks and other outdoor spaces in the area.
Wildlife crashes in the state can range in severity, sometimes leading to human fatalities, while also costing millions in damages and medical costs.
"(Our) goal is that we're cutting down on those collisions and making sure Utah's travelers are safe," Howard said. "This spot can only get worse if we don't do anything about it."
It wasn't immediately clear when construction would begin on the project. Howard said some planning details are still being hammered out.
Utah has now established over 60 wildlife crossings across the state, which appear to be working. The agency reports it has about a 90% success rate, meaning that most animals are using dedicated bridges or underpasses when encountered.
The state previously received $5.5 million from the U.S. Federal Highway Administration's Wildlife Crossings Program for a similar project near Kanab. Both programs were created through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that Congress passed in 2021.
