Where are the animals?

Yesterday morning, on my way to ski Snowbird, I drove under the $5 million wildlife bridge that was open to wildlife traffic last December.

I almost go through the area two or three times a month and have yet to see some activity involving any deer or elk crossing. I was told there were cameras installed to observe the animal traffic that seems to be few and far between.

Well, by my book it’s quite simple: The first large animal that crossed that path (if it ever did) would have cost $5 million to us, the taxpayers and our cost would decrease as traffic volume picks up. One thousand beasts crossing it would bring the cost per critter down to $5,000 a passage, which still seems quite expensive to me.

John Gleason, a spokesman with the Utah Department of Transportation, said that it took a few years for animals to begin using a similar crossing in Southern Utah, but, he asserts that now it’s second nature to them. “It will probably take some relearning,” he said. “There is a good chance we won’t know how effective this crossing is for a while. It will really be about determining if it’s cutting down on those collisions between vehicle and animal.”

I still think that the decor leaves to be desired when compared to the huge realistic-looking, wildlife overpasses near Banff, Canada, and if it were more wooded and vegetated, it would attract more animals, but who am I to judge. I’m not a moose !