Crucial Wildlife Crossing Project Near Yellowstone Moves Ahead

A project aimed at reducing wildlife-vehicle collisions in Montana’s Paradise Valley, just north of Yellowstone National Park, has cleared an important milestone.
Yellowstone Safe Passages (YSP), a coalition of 15 local, state and nonprofit organizations, recently announced that its proposal to build two wildlife overpasses at the Dome Mountain site on U.S. Highway 89 has received state funding for an engineering feasibility study.
The Dome Mountain section of Highway 89, often referred to by locals driving down it as “running the gauntlet,” is notorious for wildlife crossing the road at dawn and dusk.
Bordered by ranches and critical public lands such as the Dome Mountain Wildlife Management Area and Custer Gallatin National Forest, this stretch of highway is frequently crossed by elk, deer, pronghorn and bighorn sheep. Large carnivores, including grizzly bears, black bears and wolves, also inhabit the area, creating a significant risk for wildlife-vehicle collisions.
YSP has spent four years collaborating with local landowners, community members and agency partners, as well as hosting workshops and gathering data.
In March, YSP released a Wildlife and Transportation Assessment for the 56-mile stretch between Livingston and Gardiner. Dome Mountain was identified as the top priority site for wildlife crossing structures, based on data showing that between 2012 and 2021, 74 crashes involving wildlife were reported to law enforcement in that 5-mile segment.
Over the same period, 149 carcasses were recorded, mostly elk and mule deer, along with one grizzly bear.
Newsweek has reached out to YSP for comment via a contact form on its website outside of normal business hours on Monday.
Paradise Valley has some of the highest rates of wildlife-vehicle collisions in the state. While 10 percent of all crashes in Montana involve wildlife, that number spikes to 50 percent along the stretch of Highway 89 between Livingston and Gardiner.
Securing funding for the engineering feasibility study is a key step toward breaking ground on the project. The study will assess whether the overpasses can be built, taking into account factors like soil composition, topography, road grade and overall costs.
The group applied for the funding through the Montana Wildlife and Transportation Partnership Project Program, a state initiative aimed at enhancing safety and wildlife habitat connectivity.
Although the completion of the feasibility study is a crucial achievement, YSP acknowledged that several challenges remain.
The next steps will include designing the structures and securing an estimated $35 million in additional funding to cover construction costs. This could take at least a year, with hopes of breaking ground in the next two years.
“Luckily, YSP is set up for success,” Blakeley Adkins, the Volgenau Foundation Wildlife Conservation Associate, wrote in a statement for the Greater Yellowstone Coalition.
“We’ve spent years building relationships and engaging with the Park County community and landowners adjacent to the highway, we are in close communication with agency partners, our team is made up of dedicated and experienced members, and we already have a lot of support to get wildlife crossing structures built. Progress is slow, but we are ready to clear this next hurdle and keep on going until we get to the finish line.”
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