FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — State officials have been allocated federal funds to construct a special bridge to help Arizona's wildlife safely cross over Interstate 17.
The Arizona Department of Transportation announced Tuesday that the state had been awarded $24 million to build a wildlife overpass south of Flagstaff that's intended to reduce traffic collisions and connect animals to their habitats.
There's an 8-mile stretch of I-17 in the Willard Springs area that currently has no bridges in place that can allow for wildlife to move across the freeway. The new 100-foot-wide bridge will be designed for elk, deer, foxes, bobcats, black bears, coyotes and mountain lions.
“As Arizona continues to grow, crossing structures such as wildlife overpasses and underpasses will have the dual benefit of reducing wildlife-vehicle collisions for public safety while also connecting fragmented habitats, allowing wildlife to access vital resources," said Arizona Game and Fish Department Director Ty Gray.
The project will also include constructing new wildlife fencing to help animals navigate through fenced areas of the freeway.
ADOT said the section of the freeway covered by these projects is where 58% of wildlife-related car crashes have occurred between 2018 and 2022 in the area between Flagstaff and Stoneman Lake Road.
The state is continuing to seek out funding to construct more overpasses in other parts of Arizona that have a high potential for wildlife-related crashes.
For this portion of I-17, Munds Park resident Martin Zeigler said wildlife crossing the road is an everyday problem.
“The I-17, to me, is just such a dangerous freeway because of the wildlife,” Zeigler said.
Having to drive back and forth to Flagstaff on a regular basis, Zeigler said he has seen countless crashes involving animals over the years.
“Just about everybody you talk to that lives out here has hit an elk or has came close to hitting an elk,” he said.
When learning about this overpass being created, Zeigler said he believed it is very much necessary to cut down the number of accidents that happen.
ADOT will determine in the coming months when work will begin on the overpass project.
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