Motorists passing through Wells, looking for fuel services or perhaps somewhere to get a bite to eat, may notice a new construction on US Highway 93, just north of the town. An overpass has been built over the busy stretch of road, but this bridge wasn’t designed for two-legged pedestrians, but the four-legged variety!
The Nevada Department of Wildlife has built the crossing for deer in the area that need to cross Highway 93 during the fall and spring migrations. Every year there are many vehicle accidents caused by deer wandering onto main roads in the region. These accidents usually result in the injured animal having to be put to sleep and cost motorists hundreds of dollars to have their damaged cars fixed. On rare occasions, drivers and passengers in the cars have even been injured during the collision.
The new Wildlife Safety Crossing has already been used by 53 deer, according to Nova Simpson, a student at the University of Nevada Reno who is carrying out a study on the innovative construction. She expects to see larger groups of animals crossing as fall progresses and even more deer using it in the spring.
The overpass may have cost $1.8 million to build, but it is expected to prevent accidents that have cost billions of dollars in repairs and medical bills over the years. There are even plans to build further crossings on this stretch of road near Wells; three underpasses and another overpass, all for the deer population. Local residents will have noticed some delays while construction work has been ongoing, but the Nevada Department of Transportation hope that any inconvenience Wells residents have suffered will be worth it in the long run. It is already proving a success, as NDOT figures show that there have been no deer collisions on this stretch of Highway 93 since the crossing opened.
