A New Animals-Only Bridge Is Catching On With Local Wildlife Near Seattle

Construction on a new Seattle-area wildlife-only overpass won't be complete until next year, but the local animals are already scoping it out. As KHQ reports, deer have been spotted using the unfinished bridge to get from one side of Interstate 90 to the other.

The 66-foot-wide passage spans the newly renovated section of a six-lane highway near Snoqualmie Pass in Washington State. Construction finished on two concrete archways beneath the bridge in 2017, and they just recently opened to vehicles.

In the last months of the $6.2 million project, construction crews and conservationists will focus on making the bridge more appealing to the local fauna. Eight-foot walls on either side of the overpass will muffle noise from nearby traffic. Roughly 115,000 cubic yards of dirt will be loaded onto the bridge by the end of fall, and in the spring native plants will be brought in, turning the corridor into an extension of the local ecosystem.

The finished product will hopefully attract elk, bears, and mountain goats, redirecting them from the dangers of fast-moving cars and providing them a safe passage across the highway. The site is still scattered with construction equipment, but deer have already been spotted sneaking over it, according the state's transportation department.

Washington isn't the first state to build highway infrastructure exclusively for its animal population. Florida is home to dozens of panther crossings designed to guide endangered Florida panthers across the state's busiest roads.