I-25 wildlife crossing cuts collisions by 91% near Castle Rock

Drivers once hit a wild animal about once a day on a stretch of highway between Colorado’s two most populous cities, Denver and Colorado Springs.

In the roughly 10 months since North America’s largest wildlife overpass opened across Interstate 25 between Larkspur and Monument, drivers have hit two animals, according to state wildlife managers and transportation officials — a 91% drop.

The crossing system includes a 209-by-200-foot bridge, five wildlife underpasses and miles of fencing designed to funnel animals toward the crossings. Together, they give everything from 700-pound elk to tiny toads a safer way across the six lanes of highway that cuts between 39,000 acres of habitat.

“We are thrilled,” said Bridget O’Rourke, a spokesperson for Colorado Parks…