DENVER — The Colorado Department of Transportation and U.S. Senator Michael Bennet offered a first look at what’s expected to become the world’s largest wildlife overpass, currently under construction on I-25 near the Greenland Road exit.
“This funding was part of the bipartisan infrastructure bill that we passed in Washington. Colorado put together an excellent proposal for a competitive grant program that was for wildlife crossings,” said Sen. Michael Bennet.
Set for completion by year’s end, the overpass is part of a broader push to lead the nation in wildlife-friendly infrastructure. State officials said once complete, it will top the list as the largest of its kind globally.
Shoshanna Lew of CDOT emphasized the broader impact of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law: “It’s hard to quantify how many because there are pieces of the formula funding going into virtually everything we do. You know we won dozens of grants for major projects like this one because of that law and you are starting to see those projects coming online.”
The project, funded through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed during the Biden administration, remains under its projected $30 million budget. Leaders are pushing for continued federal investment to maintain and improve transportation safety across Colorado.
“That money that was in the bipartisan infrastructure bill is still in the budget and we’ve got to make sure that budget gets out to the states,” Bennet said. “I do think we are going to see much less investment from the national government going forward. States are going to be much more on their own, whether it’s healthcare, education or infrastructure.”
News of the project reaching its halfway point came just a day after Colorado State Patrol warned about increasing wildlife-vehicle collisions and two days after the American Society of Civil Engineers gave Colorado a C- on its infrastructure report card. Both Bennet and Lew acknowledged that funding shortfalls may delay similar projects, but they stressed the importance of continuing this kind of work.
“We’re going to continue to see increases, not decreases, in these kinds of events, but that’s actually a good thing because that means there is more wildlife overall. But one thing we can also do is slow down,” Bennet added.
The $20 million overpass is expected to be finished by the end of the year.
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Katie is a senior who has been on staff for three years. Her favorite type of stories to write is reviews and features. Katie’s favorite ice cream flavor is strawberry.
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