DENVER — A bill that would enable Coloradans to pay an optional $5 extra on their car registration to support the construction of more wildlife crossings around the state was signed into law on Wednesday.
Denver7 has covered wildlife crossings extensively over the years, and this is the latest update, with Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signing the bipartisan Senate Bill 26-141, called the Wildlife Collision Prevention Act. There was no organized registered opposition to the bill. This will become available on Jan. 1, 2027.
🦌 WATCH: Denver7's Tyler Melito breaks down the new law and how it will work
The act stemmed from a near-perfect track record regarding these crossings: That infrastructure, paired with long stretches of wildlife fencing to funnel animals to the safe passageway, have reduced wildlife-involved crashes around 90% in most cases, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT).
The Wildlife Collision Prevention Act does not require the extra $5 from Coloradans when they register their vehicles — it would have an opt-out option. It is similar to how Coloradans can already pay for a discounted state park pass through that registration. The $5 would go to the Collision Prevention Fund, which helps CDOT and Colorado Parks and Wildlife build the projects.
▶️ WATCH BELOW: Denver7 previewed this bill in April, where Colorado's wildlife crossings can reduce animal-vehicle crashes by 90 percent CDOT reports about 4,000 wildlife-involved crashes every year on average, but these incidents are immensely underreported. Estimates have found the actual number may be closer to 14,100.
These crashes come with a cost — anything from a bill for vehicle repairs to the serious injury or loss of a loved one. CDOT and the Colorado Wildlife & Transportation Alliance report that Coloradans who crash into large wildlife pay about $80 million in property damage and $66.3 million in medical expenses each year.
The bill received support from across the state and both political parties, said Sen. Dylan Roberts, who sponsored the bill.
“We've seen the places on the highway where you put in this infrastructure — it reduces collisions by over 90% almost overnight," he told Denver7 in April. "So, they are incredibly successful... They prevent animal vehicle collisions, which prevents human death, human injury, as well as animal deaths, and they help save drivers money, because fewer wrecks mean fewer insurance claims, which brings down insurance costs for everybody.”
"People are realizing, from some of the testimony we've heard and some of the data that's presented, that this is a statewide issue," he continued. "We have animal-vehicle interactions in every part of the state — in cities, in suburbs, and, of course, in the rural areas. And this is a way to collectively solve a problem that our state has."
In September 2024, Denver7 published an in-depth report on how Colorado was quickly becoming a leader in constructing wildlife crossings. As of then, the state had built more than 40 wildlife underpasses and three overpasses. The first two overpasses were constructed along Highway 9 as part of the Colorado Highway 9 Wildlife Crossing Project, which was completed in 2016. That project also included five underpasses, more than 60 wildlife escape ramps, 29 wildlife guards and nine pedestrian walk-throughs over 10 or so miles between Green Mountain Reservoir and Kremmling. The effects were immediate: A 90% reduction in wildlife-vehicle collisions and more than 112,000 instances of mule deer using the seven structures to cross the highway, CDOT previously told Denver7.
Also back in April, Denver7 spoke with Mike Ritschard. The fourth-generation rancher who leaves his home in Kremmling to travel on Highway 9 on a near daily basis said paying the $5 fee for more wildlife crossings is something he'd do in a heartbeat.
"Absolutely, it's a cup of coffee," Ritschard said.
That's because in December of 1985, a then 23-year-old Ritschard loss both his parents who were involved in a crash on the highway.
“They were hit head on," Ritshcard recalled. "They were trying to get off the road at the time."
▶️ WATCH BELOW: Denver7 published our in-depth report on wildlife crossings in September 2024, when we spoke with experts about collisions, data and the importance of upcoming projects across Colorado.
Colorado has also completed the largest wildlife overpass in North America, which spans over Interstate 25 in Douglas County.
Larkspur resident Kari Vince told Denver7 these crossings are needed more than people may think.
"I was coming home the other day, there was an elk in the middle of the road and something just says, 'Turn your high beams on,'" Vince said.
Vince said the need to slow down has become more and more prevalent.
"I mean, are we inhabiting their space?" Vince asked. "Are we building too much? I mean, are we encroaching upon them?
As Denver7 reported earlier this month, more crossings are planned by the end of the year across Interstate 70 at Vail Pass.
