Montana to study adding more wildlife crossings

The Montana Department of Transportation wants to improve wildlife crossings along U.S. Highway 89, near Dome Mountain in Park County.

The state announced on Monday it was launching a feasibility study into wildlife fencing and two different wildlife overpasses along the highway.

“This section of U.S. 89 serves as an important corridor for both travelers and wildlife. Animals, including elk, deer and other species, regularly move through the region, and high rates of animal vehicle collisions … occur,” a MDT project webpage states. “The purpose of the study is to explore whether wildlife mitigation improvements can reduce crashes while maintaining safe movement across the landscape.”

Wildlife overpasses have been used in Montana, with one example being on Highway 93 entering the Flathead Indian Reservation. The state of Washington has also built wildlife overpasses as a way to reduce conflicts between humans and animals.

The concept includes an 8-foot tall fencing along the highway, with the barrier naturally pushing animals to one of the wildlife overpasses. Wildlife overpasses are essentially large structures that have grass and plants on them, which animals can then follow over the roadway instead of moving onto the highway. 

Montana has recently been focused on the issue, and Gov. Greg Gianforte signed two bills at the site of a recently completed MDT project last summer that created a program for wildlife crossings and a mechanism to fund it.

The cost of the study is $601,000 according to Big Sky Public Relations, which is handling the communication work for the project.

Research from State Farm has indicated Montanans have the second-highest chance of striking an animal of any state in the country. 

“This study is an important first step in understanding what wildlife crossing improvements may be feasible along this section of U.S. 89,” Kelly Williams, an MDT consultant design engineer, said in a press release. “At this stage, we are evaluating options, not advancing a construction project. The study will provide information that can help inform future decisions about whether a project should move forward.”

The study is expected to be completed next year and an informational meeting is scheduled at Six Mile Creek Picnic Area on Bridger Hollow Road in Pray, Montana, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., Sept. 24.