A stretch of highway south of Montpelier that has killed scores of deer each year is getting a new fix.
Crews are nearing completion of the Rocky Point Wildlife Underpass along U.S. Highway 30 in Bear Lake County, and officials and conservation groups said this week the project is expected to be finished this fall.
The crossing includes three underpasses and fencing on both sides of the project to direct animals such as deer toward the crossing.
“We were seeing just all kinds of problems there; we were losing at least 100 deer a year,” Idaho Transportation Department public information officer Justin Smith said in an interview Wednesday. “Over 10 years, that is 1,000 animals we know we lost.”
Officials also said those collisions cost drivers and taxpayers millions of dollars every year.
“Our primary concern is the safety of the traveling public. Whether they are going through a construction zone or whether they are in a wildlife area, we want to keep people safe on our highways, and this is part of that effort,” Smith said.
Officials said the Rocky Point Wildlife Underpass is a partnership between the Idaho Transportation Department, Idaho Department of Fish and Game, the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, the Idaho Conservation League and Bear Lake County.
“Rocky Point shows what’s possible when agencies, conservation, and sporting groups, and local communities work toward the same goal,” Matt Lucia, Idaho conservation manager at the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, said in a written statement.
“[The Greater Yellowstone Coalition] has been part of this project for years, contributing time, energy, and funds toward the effort. The next step is making sure the federal funding that made this project possible stays available.”
The Idaho Transportation Department secured a $20.8 million grant from the Federal Highway Administration’s Wildlife Crossing Pilot Program to build the crossing. Funding comes from the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which Congress passed and former president Joe Biden signed into law in 2021.
Smith said the federal grant was estimated to cover 98 percent of construction costs, but the project may come in under budget, which could allow the state to return some money to the Federal Highway Administration.
The Rocky Point underpass is the second major wildlife highway crossing in Idaho.
In 2023, crews built the Cervidae Peak Wildlife Overpass on Idaho Highway 21 near Lucky Peak, between Boise and Idaho City. That crossing includes more than 1.6 kilometres of big game fencing to guide animals to the overpass.
Fish and Game officials installed a wildlife camera there. In 2024, state officials posted a time-lapse video showing more than 1,000 deer safely using the Cervidae Peak Wildlife Overpass between Oct. 17, 2024, and Dec. 18, 2024.
Smith said Idaho Transportation Department officials are studying other highway corridors with heavy wildlife populations and are open to pursuing more crossings.
“It is something that as Idaho’s population continues to grow, we need to look at ways to protect drivers and protect the wildlife,” Smith said. “It’s something we continue to look at.”
“We’re always open to doing what needs to be done for the safety of the traveling public; that is our primary concern,” Smith added. “We will continue to look at these projects as ways to improve the safety on our highways.”
The Idaho Legislature has also called for more wildlife crossings.
In March, lawmakers adopted Senate Concurrent Resolution 124, which encourages the Idaho Legislature, Idaho’s congressional delegation, the governor, the Idaho Transportation Department and Fish and Game to recognize and support wildlife corridors to improve public safety and protect big game migration corridors.
“The Legislature strongly supports the advancement of public safety and conservation of Idaho’s big game migration corridors through the development and implementation of wildlife crossings where appropriate and supported by local communities,” the resolution states.
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