Colorado Department of Transportation—SH 9 CO River South Wildlife and Safety Project

In an effort to improve safety, CDOT built two wildlife overpasses—the first in the state—and five wildlife underpasses along a 10.6 mile stretch of Colorado Highway 9 to allow deer, elk, moose, bear and Rocky Mountain sheep to travel safely from one side of the highway to the other. This incredible $48 million partnership effort included some very unorthodox funding. Local residents contributed nearly 6 million dollars, which came from sources ranging from large personal donations to small bake sale proceeds. The project came in ahead of schedule, under budget and most of all, has made the highway much safer for drivers and animals alike.