Washington state builds bridge to keep wildlife off highway

SNOQUALMIE PASS, Wash. (AP) — Before descending the Cascade Mountains on its final stretch to Seattle, Interstate 90 cuts through a mountain pass of old growth forests and wetlands.

For countless wildlife species, the busy highway is a border, constraining their movements and posing a fatal risk should they dare to cross it.

"Everything from an elk down to a small salamander, they need to move to find food, to find mates, to find new places to live as their populations expand or just when conditions change, like a fire breaks out," said Jen Watkins of Conservation Northwest.

Soon, animals will have a safer option for crossing the road: They'll be able to go above it.

Washington state is finishing work on its largest wildlife bridge. The 35-foot-tall (11-meter), 66-foot-wide (20-meter) structure emerges from the forest and forms two arches above the highway, one for each direction of traffic.

https://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Washington-state-combats-collisions-with-new-13459475.php