Colorado Completes New Wildlife Overpass in Greenland
The bridge spans I-25 to protect wildlife and the 100,000 drivers traveling through the corridor each day.
Updated on Oct. 31, 2026 in Wildlife
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The Colorado Department of Transportation completed the Greenland wildlife overpass in December 2025 to improve safety for wildlife and drivers. The structure, which cost $15 million, helps reconnect 39,000 acres of habitat along a heavily traveled corridor of I-25.
Why it matters
The project addresses a critical safety issue on the I-25 South Gap, where collision numbers were historically high. By using fences to guide animals to the new overpass and existing underpasses, the state aims to protect both local wildlife and the 100,000 drivers who commute here daily.
The new 200-by-209-foot overpass complements 14.1 miles of fencing and five underpasses that already saw nearly 20,000 recorded animal crossings between 2022 and 2024. This system is designed to drastically reduce the baseline of 32.2 annual crashes reported prior to the project.
The players
Colorado Department of Transportation
The state agency responsible for managing highway infrastructure and enhancing roadway safety through engineering solutions.
The details
Engineers designed the system to funnel wildlife away from the road and toward safe crossing points. The fence line guides animals toward either the five underpasses or the new overpass, which was specifically added to accommodate species like pronghorn that avoided the tunnels. By providing a bridge over all six lanes of traffic, the project allows deer and elk to cross without entering the path of 100,000 daily vehicles.
Timeline
2013-2017: A baseline of 32.2 wildlife-vehicle collisions occurred annually.
2022-2024: Cameras tracked 16,749 mule deer, 1,791 white-tailed deer, and 866 elk using underpasses.
2024: Wildlife-vehicle crashes fell 91 percent from the baseline period.
August 2025: State officials published a monitoring study on wildlife crash trends.
December 2025: The Greenland wildlife overpass project reached completion.
The Home Front
This project aligns with a broader state shift toward permanent wildlife-crossing infrastructure to manage the intersection of suburban growth and animal migration. It marks a significant departure from past reliance on warning signage as the primary method for reducing high-speed corridor accidents.
Commuters traveling through Douglas County should remain alert for wildlife, as animals are still active in the fenced corridors even when crossing points are available. Drivers should check their vehicle insurance policies to ensure they have adequate comprehensive coverage for animal-related collision damage.
The takeaway
Large-scale infrastructure like the Greenland overpass is proven to keep highways safer by physically separating vehicles from migrating herds. Drivers in rural or mountainous areas should keep a record of high-activity wildlife zones on their routes and adjust speeds accordingly at dawn and dusk.
Further reading
Learn more about local efforts to protect animal habitats in Colorado Wildlife.
Source note: This article includes information reported by ECOticias.
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