---
title: "Cameras Show Utah’s I-80 Wildlife Overpass Is Working. Now Let’s Build More of Them"
description: "More animals in the wild and fewer collisions with motorists. Sounds like a win-win."
date: "2020-11-24"
modified: "2020-11-25"
authors:
  - name: "Jerry Perez"
    job_title: "Deputy Editor"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/jerry-perez"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/37792/cameras-show-utahs-i-80-wildlife-overpass-is-working-now-lets-build-more-of-them"
categories:
  - "Culture"
  - "For Sale"
  - "News"
---

# Cameras Show Utah’s I-80 Wildlife Overpass Is Working. Now Let’s Build More of Them

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2020/11/Screen-Shot-2020-11-23-at-5.39.40-PM.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

Every time I see a dead animal on the side of the road, one whose check-in at Critter Heaven has been accelerated courtesy of a motor vehicle, I can't help but feel bad and wonder if we'll ever come up with a better way for wildlife to cross busy roads? Luckily, here in central Indiana you won't hit anything bigger than a small deer or overweight goose—but in other states, the [critters get bigger, heavier, and much more dangerous](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/37736/now-canada-has-road-signs-telling-people-not-to-let-moose-lick-their-cars>), posing even greater risks to motorists. Luckily, folks in Utah have come up with a solution to keep wildlife and humans safer, and its Division of Wildlife Resources recently released a video of a Wildlife Overpass doing exactly that.

Initially reported by Utah's *[KUTV2](<https://twitter.com/KUTV2News/status/1330134114817675267?s=20>)*, Utah's first wildlife overpass is fulfilling its promise of allowing animals of all sizes to cross the busy Interstate 80 at Parley's Summit without endangering themselves or human lives. A video shared by the state's Division of Wildlife Resources on Twitter shows everything from small chipmunks to bears, coyotes, porcupines, and [even large moose using the bridge](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/29804/watch-the-2019-toyota-rav4-miserably-fail-the-moose-test>) to safely continue their pre-determined journey.

https://twitter.com/_/status/1330134114817675267

The overpass, which is 48 feet wide and 330 feet long, was opened to the... errr.. *public animals* back in December 2018, and it reportedly came at a cost of $5,000,000, per [*CBS2*](<https://kutv.com/news/local/udot-debuts-utahs-first-wildlife-overpass>). It's unclear if this money came from a state or federal agency's budget or if the funds were raised privately, but regardless, I'd dare say that it's a good investment, especially when 46 deer, 14 moose, and four elk were killed on that stretch of road in 2016 and 2017 alone, per *CBS2.*

Each one of those collisions not only takes a toll on cars, insurance companies, the city, the state, and other parties [involved in maintaining public roads](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/33078/why-fewer-cars-on-the-road-means-california-is-saving-40-million-a-day>), but there's also a human toll. It turns out, hitting a moose or elk isn't exactly safe for humans—even in big SUVs.

The State of Colorado employs a similar overpass on Colorado Highway 9, reports [*KRDO*](<https://krdo.com/news/2020/11/20/video-shows-wildlife-overpass-in-utah-a-success/>), and the Colorado Department of Transportation is reportedly working with Colorado Parks and Wildlife to create additional overpasses.

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## Author
Jerry is responsible for upholding The Drive's ethos as an audience-first, enthusiast-driven car blog that serves up industry-leading news, reviews, culture, and motorsport coverage. Overseeing a staff of writers and editors from his home base in Indianapolis, he helps curate the site's daily rundown, as well as its medium- and long-term content strategies. Jerry joined The Drive in 2018 as a writer and worked as news editor and managing editor before becoming the deputy in 2023. As a lifelong car enthusiast and racing fan, Jerry believes that all cars are cool, but the people behind the machines are even cooler. This belief often gives The Drive a slightly different focus from most other car sites, where we explore the humanity behind the machines. When he's not obsessing over the day's biggest stories or hanging out at a race track, Jerry can be found behind the wheel of a car, most likely sharing a laugh with his teenage son or daughter.

### Author social links  
[Instagram](<https://www.instagram.com/drive_jerry/>)