In Chaffee County, 1 in 4 car crashes involve wildlife, which is almost 10 times higher than the state's average. That data comes from statewide car crash data from the Colorado Department of Transportation. The county had 107 wildlife-related accidents in 2024, most involving elk and deer.
Commissioners in Chaffee County are putting a plan together aimed at reducing crashes related to wildlife. They chose ECO-resolutions, a Colorado-based wildlife mitigation research and design company, to come up with the plan.
The company has worked in the research and development of many of Colorado’s wildlife over and underpasses, including the planning of the I-25 South Gap project and a wildlife underpass, which it claims reduced wildlife-related collisions on the highway.
The county plans to use around $400,000 in grants made possible by the U.S. Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and another $100,000 from the state's local match program to pay for the research and plan.
“Prior to construction, these types of collisions were one of the most common crash types in the (I-25) corridor, with direct impacts to motorists and wildlife,” the company's website said.
Miles Cottom of the Chaffee County community planning and natural resources department recommended the company to the board. Cottom added that the ECO-resolutions founder, Julia Kintsch, lives in Chaffee County, which he said could be a plus to understanding its unique road safety problems.
Now that the county has found a contractor, planning and budgeting is next, Cottom said.
“There's no actual funds being committed today based on these estimates. What the selected contractor for this would do is work with the folks that are submitting proposals for the ultimate request for proposal,” Cotton said.
Once they find a contractor, then the planning department will come back to council for a budget approval.
