A highway can take us from one community to another in a matter of minutes. But for wildlife, that same stretch of pavement can become a barrier separating feeding grounds, water sources, seasonal habitat, and migration routes that animals have followed for generations.

Across Colorado, transportation officials and wildlife biologists are finding ways to reconnect those landscapes.

One of the most impressive examples is a new wildlife overpass spanning Interstate 25 between Denver and Colorado Springs. And while the project is far from the San Luis Valley, the idea behind it has considerable relevance to our own wide-open country.

A Bridge Built for Wildlife

Completed in December 2025, the Greenland Wildlife Overpass near Larkspur is an extraordinary piece of engineering.

Measuring approximately 200 feet wide and 209 feet long, the grass-covered bridge stretches across six lanes of Interstate 25. Rather than carrying automobiles, it provides a natural-looking passage for elk, mule deer, pronghorn, bears, and other animals.

The $15 million project connects approximately 39,000 acres of habitat on either side of the interstate.

For decades, the highway divided an important wildlife movement corridor. Animals attempting to cross faced fast-moving traffic, while some species avoided crossing altogether.

The overpass completes a larger wildlife protection system that includes five underpasses and miles of fencing designed to guide animals toward safer crossings.

The results from that broader system have been encouraging.

A Colorado Department of Transportation study reported a 91% reduction in wildlife-vehicle collisions during the final year of its evaluation. Importantly, much of that improvement occurred before the new overpass was completed, thanks to the fencing and underpasses already in place.

The bridge itself serves another important purpose: providing a crossing for animals such as elk and pronghorn that may be reluctant to enter enclosed underpasses.

Wildlife cameras have already documented animals using the new structure.

More Than Preventing Accidents

Preventing collisions is an obvious benefit of wildlife crossings. A vehicle striking an elk or deer can result in serious injuries, costly damage, and the loss of an animal.

But the ecological benefits extend much further.

Wildlife needs room to move.

Elk and deer travel between seasonal ranges. Pronghorn depend on open landscapes where they can move freely in search of food, water, and suitable habitat. Other animals travel to find mates, establish territories, or respond to changing environmental conditions.

When a major highway interrupts those movements, populations can become separated from one another.

Over time, that isolation can affect access to resources, breeding opportunities, and the health of wildlife populations.

A properly designed wildlife crossing can help restore those connections.

And not every solution requires an enormous bridge. Depending on the landscape and species involved, smaller underpasses, modified drainage structures, strategically placed fencing, and other improvements can also make a difference.

Bringing the Question Home to the San Luis Valley

Here in the San Luis Valley, wildlife is part of the landscape and part of everyday life.

Elk herds move through agricultural lands and along the Rio Grande corridor. Mule deer occupy mountain foothills, wooded areas, and open country. Pronghorn are especially associated with the Valley's broad grasslands and agricultural landscapes.

The Valley is also crossed by several important transportation routes.

U.S. Highway 285, running through communities including Villa Grove, Saguache, and Monte Vista, is a major north-south route.

U.S. Highway 160 carries traffic east and west through the Valley, connecting communities including Alamosa, Monte Vista, and Del Norte.

Colorado Highway 17 crosses extensive stretches of open country between Alamosa, Hooper, and the northern Valley.

These roads are essential to residents, agriculture, commerce, and visitors. But they also pass through landscapes used by wildlife.

For animals, a highway doesn't necessarily follow the natural boundaries of their habitat.

A deer moving between feeding and bedding areas, or a pronghorn traveling across open country, encounters a roadway simply because people built one across its path.

The challenge is finding ways for both to move safely.

Wildlife Conservation Is Already Happening Here

The San Luis Valley is not starting from scratch when it comes to protecting wildlife habitat.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife works with landowners and other partners through its San Luis Valley Habitat Partnership Program.

The program addresses conflicts involving big game animals, agricultural operations, and changing habitat conditions.

Among the areas identified by the program are pronghorn populations west of Center, elk along the Rio Grande corridor between Del Norte and Alamosa, and elk associated with the Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge.

Its work includes habitat-related projects, fencing efforts, pronghorn surveys, and support for conservation easements.

These efforts demonstrate that maintaining healthy wildlife populations involves more than protecting animals within designated public lands.

Much of the habitat wildlife depends upon is privately owned, and ranchers, farmers, conservation organizations, and public agencies all have roles to play.

Protecting movement corridors often requires cooperation across property boundaries and jurisdictions.

What Colorado Is Learning Elsewhere

The Greenland overpass is not Colorado's only example of wildlife-friendly highway design.

Along U.S. Highway 160 between Durango and Pagosa Springs, the Colorado Department of Transportation completed a wildlife overpass and underpass project in 2022.

That project includes fencing and other features designed to direct wildlife away from traffic and toward safe passageways.

It was developed with help from several partners, including the Southern Ute Indian Tribe, whose wildlife research helped identify important migration routes.

The project demonstrates how knowledge of animal behavior can guide highway improvements.

Rather than simply choosing a convenient location for a crossing, researchers study where animals already travel and design structures suited to those movements.

That distinction matters.

A wildlife crossing is most useful when it connects habitat animals actually need and provides a passage they are willing to use.

Could Similar Approaches Work in the Valley?

The San Luis Valley's geography is different from the heavily traveled Interstate 25 corridor.

Traffic volumes, wildlife populations, migration patterns, land ownership, and available funding would all influence whether a particular wildlife crossing project would make sense here.

An elaborate overpass might be appropriate in one location, while an underpass, fencing improvement, or another approach might work better elsewhere.

Determining those needs would require wildlife movement studies, collision data, and input from local landowners and transportation officials.

The purpose of looking at projects like Greenland isn't necessarily to suggest that the Valley needs a multimillion-dollar wildlife bridge.

It's to recognize that highways and wildlife habitat don't always have to remain permanently divided.

As transportation infrastructure is maintained and improved, opportunities may arise to make roads safer while preserving the natural movement of animals.

A Landscape Worth Keeping Connected

One of the things that makes the San Luis Valley special is its sense of openness.

From the grasslands stretching toward the Sangre de Cristo Mountains to the Rio Grande corridor and the foothills of the San Juan Mountains, the Valley provides habitat for an extraordinary variety of wildlife.

Those animals don't recognize county lines, property boundaries, or highway numbers.

They follow the landscape, the seasons, and the resources they need to survive.

The Greenland Wildlife Overpass offers an encouraging reminder that human infrastructure can be designed with those needs in mind.

Perhaps the most important lesson isn't the size of the bridge or the millions of dollars spent building it.

It's the recognition that wildlife needs connections, too.

And in a place like the San Luis Valley, where wildlife and open country are such an important part of our identity, keeping those connections intact is a subject worth exploring.

Sources and Further Reading

Colorado Department of Transportation — I-25 Greenland Wildlife Overpass and project completion announcement, December 2025.

Colorado Department of Transportation — Wildlife Collision Prevention Program.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife — Wildlife Migration and Movement.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife — San Luis Valley Habitat Partnership Program.

Colorado Department of Transportation — U.S. Highway 160 Wildlife Overpass and Underpass Completion, August 2022.

Colorado Politics — CDOT I-25 South Gap Projects Reduce Wildlife Collisions by 91%, September 28, 2026.

The San Luis Valley Beat welcomes observations from residents about wildlife movement and highway crossings throughout the Valley. Have you noticed areas where elk, deer, pronghorn, or other wildlife regularly cross local roads? Share your observations with us at editor@thesanluisvalleybeat.com.