July 2024 - 8

NEWS
The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission approved spending an additional $500,000 for The Wind River to Grand Tetons - Connecting Wildlife on the Togwotee Trail project near Dubois.
(Photo by Mark Gocke/WGFD)
Commission allocates additional
$500,000 to wildlife crossing project
DUBOIS - The Wyoming Game and
Fish Commission recently approved spending
an additional $500,000 for The Wind River
to Grand Tetons - Connecting Wildlife on
the Togwotee Trail project on U.S. Highway
26 near Dubois. The Commission voted on
this during its monthly meeting in Dubois
in May.
This wildlife crossing project is one of
several mitigations identified for U.S. 26 from
Dinwoody to Stony Point and will include
the construction of three new underpasses,
one overpass and the improvement of three
existing underpasses. This is a result of a
collaborative effort between the Northern
Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone tribes,
Wyoming Department of Transportation
and other partners.
These crossings will reduce wildlife-vehicle
collisions and maintain habitat connectivity
for mule deer, elk, bighorn sheep, white-tailed
deer, moose and pronghorn.
Mule deer from northwest Wyoming
migrate through Dubois and cross the
highway multiple times. About 5,000 mule
deer winter in the Upper Wind River Valley
and cross the highway daily for food and
8 | July 2024
water. Elk, moose, bighorn sheep, whitetailed
deer and pronghorn also winter here,
and many stay year-round. Bighorn sheep
near Red Creek frequently cross the highway
and are often seen foraging or licking road
salt along the right-of-way. Wildlife-vehicle
collisions on U.S. 26 involve all these species.
Once fully completed, this segment
of the project is expected to result in an
80-90 percent reduction in wildlife-vehicle
collisions with mule deer and other wildlife.
The completion of this priority highway
crossing project and others identified in
the U.S. 26 mitigation plan will result in
an average savings of more than $800,000
in vehicle damage and human injury costs
per year. As of now, this stretch of highway
is one of the worst in Wyoming for vehiclewildlife
collisions.
The highway corridor was divided into
eight segments between mileposts 48-73
defined by similar land use, ownership and
wildlife use. Other projects have already been
done or are in progress including message
signs that encourage motorists to slow down
during peak wildlife migrations; vegetation
removal to allow wildlife to use the Red
Creek bridge as an underpass; removal
of right-of-way fence at Pete's Pond and
modification of right-of-way fence west of
Dubois to allow quicker wildlife crossings
and vegetation removal to allow greater sight
distances for both wildlife and motorists.
Other identified projects will continue to
be assessed and implemented as time and
resources allow.
The annual average daily traffic on this
stretch of highway is about 1,800 vehicles,
and around 1,100 vehicles daily during the
fall and winter months. Once fully completed,
these projects are expected to result in at least
200, and likely closer to 1,000 fewer wildlifevehicle
collisions annually.
The total cost of this wildlife crossing
project is $28.14 million.
- Breanna Ball, WGFD
SCAN THE QR CODE TO
LEARN MORE ABOUT
THE WIND RIVER TO
GRAND TETONS -
CONNECTING WILDLIFE
ON THE TOGWOTEE
TRAIL PROJECT.

https://wgfd.wyo.gov/dubois-us-hwy-26287-project

July 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of July 2024