Site search
sponsored by
Home
News
ENLARGE
A herd of elk feeding near the highway in Minturn. The state is installing fences along highways in the county in an effort to keep animals off the road.
|
ENLARGE
|
EVE Deer Fence DT 11-18 Dominique Taylor A deer fence similar to the one planned for Eagle that follows along side I-70.
|
Vail, CO Colorado
EAGLE - It's been about 20 years since Eagle resident Brandi Smith hit an elk on Interstate 70 as she was driving her young daughters home from a gymnastics lesson, but the experience remains vivid in her mind.
"The herd of elk crossed over the median from the left side of the road. I saw one hit the front end of the van, then it came crashing into our windshield," Smith said. "All I could think about was 'This elk is going to be in the front seat with us.'"
She had been driving at about 70 mph, and her five-year-old daughter was seat-belted into the front passenger seat. The windshield shattered, and the elk bounced about 180 feet. Smith managed to bring her new Aerostar van to a halt without rolling it.
Amazingly, nobody was hurt. The big cow elk died. The van, which had only 3,000 miles on it, sustained $13,000 worth of damage.
"I've never been so shook up in my life," says Smith. To this day, she remains wary about night driving.
The Colorado Department of Transportation is trying to make Interstate 70 safer. The agency has plans for a $3.3 million fence on the south side of I-70, from Dowd Junction to Eagle. Work should begin in the spring.
The eight-foot fence, if it does what planners intend, should keep deer, elk, and other wildlife from running across the freeway.
EAGLE - It's been about 20 years since Eagle resident Brandi Smith hit an elk on Interstate 70 as she was driving her young daughters home from a gymnastics lesson, but the experience remains vivid in her mind.
"The herd of elk crossed over the median from the left side of the road. I saw one hit the front end of the van, then it came crashing into our windshield," Smith said. "All I could think about was 'This elk is going to be in the front seat with us.'"
She had been driving at about 70 mph, and her five-year-old daughter was seat-belted into the front passenger seat. The windshield shattered, and the elk bounced about 180 feet. Smith managed to bring her new Aerostar van to a halt without rolling it.
Amazingly, nobody was hurt. The big cow elk died. The van, which had only 3,000 miles on it, sustained $13,000 worth of damage.
"I've never been so shook up in my life," says Smith. To this day, she remains wary about night driving.
The Colorado Department of Transportation is trying to make Interstate 70 safer. The agency has plans for a $3.3 million fence on the south side of I-70, from Dowd Junction to Eagle. Work should begin in the spring.
The eight-foot fence, if it does what planners intend, should keep deer, elk, and other wildlife from running across the freeway.
More traffic, more collisions
It's no secret that traffic in the Eagle Valley has increased: In 2004 (the most recent statistics available), the state reported over 20,000 daily trips along I-70 from Eagle to Dowd Junction.
This increased traffic, coupled with more wildlife on the road - be it from new development pushing animals out or just from natural migration - means more vehicle-animal collisions. In 2004, the state reported that 67 vehicles collided with wildlife in the valley. Animal carcasses on the road are a common sight.
Jim Gonzales said he's sick of it - and he set out to make sure the department of transportation maintained adequate fencing to keep wildlife off the road. Maintenance has been a problem since fences were put up in the 1970s and the animals were coming through fallen fencing, and he has the video to prove it, Gonzales said.
"I made them promise if just one elk got hurt, they would do something," said Gonzales, a contractor and Minturn resident. "These deaths are totally preventable."
For five years, Gonzales said he went straight to the top, speaking with transportation officials about the problem. He said he was going nowhere fast - and more and more animals were getting hit, with the state doing nothing. And then he went to the media in an attempt to show the department of transportation dragging its heels, he said.
Nancy Shanks, a spokeswoman for the department, said once the agency became aware of the problem, it acted to fix it.
"We've been studying this corridor for years. We are aware of the problem," said Peter Kozinski, resident engineer for the department of transportation's Eagle District.
Jim Gonzales said he's sick of it - and he set out to make sure the department of transportation maintained adequate fencing to keep wildlife off the road. Maintenance has been a problem since fences were put up in the 1970s and the animals were coming through fallen fencing, and he has the video to prove it, Gonzales said.
"I made them promise if just one elk got hurt, they would do something," said Gonzales, a contractor and Minturn resident. "These deaths are totally preventable."
For five years, Gonzales said he went straight to the top, speaking with transportation officials about the problem. He said he was going nowhere fast - and more and more animals were getting hit, with the state doing nothing. And then he went to the media in an attempt to show the department of transportation dragging its heels, he said.
Nancy Shanks, a spokeswoman for the department, said once the agency became aware of the problem, it acted to fix it.
"We've been studying this corridor for years. We are aware of the problem," said Peter Kozinski, resident engineer for the department of transportation's Eagle District.
Either way, now there's hope, Gonzales said. Residents may have already noticed an improved wildlife fence from Dowd Junction to West Vail, a project that cost the highway department $87,000 and was completed in mid-November.
Currently, there are sections of deer fencing along I-70, including a stretch from Eagle to Wolcott.
"We are trying to connect all the little pieces to protect the public and the animals," Kozinski said.
The new fence will run up and down the south side of I-70. The main problem the state is looking to solve is elk crossing the highway - going north - from Arrowhead in Edwards. Elk grazing the snow-covered golf greens at Arrowhead are a common sight in the winter.
Currently, there are sections of deer fencing along I-70, including a stretch from Eagle to Wolcott.
"We are trying to connect all the little pieces to protect the public and the animals," Kozinski said.
The new fence will run up and down the south side of I-70. The main problem the state is looking to solve is elk crossing the highway - going north - from Arrowhead in Edwards. Elk grazing the snow-covered golf greens at Arrowhead are a common sight in the winter.
New technology
New dirt-covered and virtually hidden ramps will give animals that are trapped in traffic the opportunity to run up and jump back over the fence, and get back to safety. The department of transportation worked with the Colorado Division of Wildlife to engineer these ramps and make sure the unlucky animal that makes it to the road can get off. While the ramps allow animals to get from the highway to the backside of the fence, the design makes jumping back over very difficult.
Bill Andree, district wildlife manager for the Colorado Division of Wildlife, said the ramps are great because they don't require maintenance, unlike the one-way gates of the past. The gates, which allowed animals to go away from the highway but not toward, required a lot of work because humans would "make the one-way gates two-way gates," Andree said.
"And you can often get money to build things, but to get money to maintain is whole other ball of wax," Andree said.
Kozinski said the construction of a new fence was not the result of any public involvement - from Gonzales or anyone. Money is tight, he said, and it is an issue of prioritization for the department. He said that while department of transportation is eager for citizen input, the budget ultimately drives projects.
Don't tell that to Gonzales, who said his persistence got the job done.
"I gave them a pretty big black eye," Gonzales said. "I feel really, really good that I made it happen. It's not like I want to pound my chest or something, but I made it happen."
This article first appeared in the Eagle Valley Enterprise.
"And you can often get money to build things, but to get money to maintain is whole other ball of wax," Andree said.
Kozinski said the construction of a new fence was not the result of any public involvement - from Gonzales or anyone. Money is tight, he said, and it is an issue of prioritization for the department. He said that while department of transportation is eager for citizen input, the budget ultimately drives projects.
Don't tell that to Gonzales, who said his persistence got the job done.
"I gave them a pretty big black eye," Gonzales said. "I feel really, really good that I made it happen. It's not like I want to pound my chest or something, but I made it happen."
This article first appeared in the Eagle Valley Enterprise.
