Caltrans District 2 has celebrated the completion of an overcrossing built in Siskiyou County to allow wild animals to get safely over Highway 97. It’s in a stretch of road about 15 miles north of Weed near Grass Lake Rest Area that has a particularly high rate of collisions involving Elk, Deer, Pronghorn Antelope, Bears, Bobcats, Coyotes and other animals. Between 2015 and 2020 more than 50 Deer and 16 Elk fatalities were recorded there. The bridge is 100 feet long and 140 feet wide, and it’ll be covered with dirt and native vegetation to blend into the surrounding forest. The project also includes 2 miles of 8 foot high fencing stretching in each direction along the highway. Animals of the more slinking type can go under the highway through a reinforced concrete box culvert. Construction of the $15 Million project began in 2024.
-Steve Gibson