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Federal grant will help UDOT enhance wildlife safety along US-40

Jan 15, 2025, 6:00 PM | Updated: 7:25 pm

FILE: Traffic at a Highway 40 deer crossing....

FILE: Traffic at a Highway 40 deer crossing. (Garry Bryant, Deseret News)

(Garry Bryant, Deseret News)

SALT LAKE CITY — A federal grant of $9.6 million will help Utah transportation officials improve wildlife safety on US-40 in Washington and Duchesne counties.

UDOT Resource Manager Matt Howard said the money will add 23 miles of fencing. And there are other projects the federal grant will also cover.

“We [will] rehabilitate three structures that can be crossings, and build an all-new one in between Strawberry Reservoir and Starvation Reservoir on U.S. 40,” Howard said.

This 23-mile stretch was chosen because, despite Utah’s mild winter in 2025, it’s where officials see the most need.

“It was selected because of how many carcasses get picked up, how many crashes get reported to law enforcement, and then caller data provided [to UDOT] by The Division of Wildlife Resources,” Howard said.

UDOT reports that 60% of crashes along this stretch of US-40 in the last seven years involved animals.

The fencing and crossings will take some time to complete, Howard said. But it’s a worthwhile wait.

“Roadkill reports indicate that animals attempting to cross the busy road are getting hit by vehicles at high rates,” said Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Wildlife Migration Initiative Coordinator Makeda Hanson in a press release.

“The new fencing will reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions and funnel wildlife to safe crossing locations that connect habitats across this route.”

Right now, Utah has more than 60 similar wildlife crossings. According to the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, Utah has led the way in keeping wildlife safe in this manner. The first wildlife crossing in the United States was built in 1975 near Beaver, Utah.

Related reading: How to stay safe during the peak time for wildlife-vehicle collisions


Heather Peterson contributed to this story.

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Federal grant will help UDOT enhance wildlife safety along US-40