In Siskiyou County, northern California, Highway 97 cuts through what used to be continuous forest. For years, dozens of deer, elk, and other wildlife unfortunately died after being hit by cars while trying to cross between habitats. However, the government recently built a $20 million overpass designed to help animals cross safely above traffic. And even though the bridge isn’t quite finished, animals have already started using it.
UC Davis Road Ecology Center recently shared photos of three mule deer successfully using the wildlife crossing. “This marks the first time wildlife have used the first-ever wildlife overcrossing in California,” said director Fraser Shilling. “It heralds a new era of wildlife overcrossings to improve wildlife connectivity.”
The Siskiyou County structure is the first wildlife overcrossing that the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) planned, funded, and built solely to improve safe routes for wildlife. But the initiative isn’t unique to northern California. In the south of the county, the much larger Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing across U.S. 101 is scheduled to open later this year in a bid to safely connect mountain lions and other wildlife with their habitat.
The wildlife crossing in Siskiyou County is a vital link for deer, as well as species like gray wolves, elk, mountain lions, black bears, and many others across the region. It’s expected to be fully completed by fall 2026, but the recent images taken by around 100 cameras in the area prove that the animals are already keen to use it.
The bridge, designed by Caltrans alongside a wide group of partners, is around 100 feet long and 140 feet wide. The project also includes around 3 miles of 8-foot-high fencing along the highway to guide animals toward safer crossing points, plus a concrete box culvert under the road that gives wildlife another way to move across.
Let’s hope the structure helps many more animals to come.
A new $20 million wildlife overpass in Siskiyou County, northern California helps wildlife safely cross Highway 97.
The first animals to test out the new route were three mule deer.
Source: Deer Are First Animals to Cross California’s First Wildlife Overcrossing
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