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Safe Passage

Safe Passage

The I-40 Pigeon River Gorge Wildlife Crossing Project

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Help animals safely cross our mountain highways.

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“C’mon baby!”

To cross or not to cross?

For wildlife whose ancestors have traversed our landscapes for centuries in search of food, mates, and territory, this is not the question. Their instinct is to continue moving across age-old geographical paths. 

But humans have made this natural migration more and more difficult by fragmenting large sections of protected forest, bisecting them with huge roads fraught with heavy, fast-moving vehicles. 

The resulting rise in collisions with large mammals has become a serious concern not only for conservation, but also for human safety, economics and culture. 

Learn more

Video courtesy of Susan Detwiler. While driving through the Pigeon River Gorge, Susan and her husband captured this hold-your-breath moment, which demonstrates the dangerous plight of wildlife navigating our roadways. They sent us this video in support of the work being done to help these animals.

Meet the Animals

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Help Them Cross

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We’re In This Together

Nearly a hundred professionals and staff from more than 20 partner organizations contribute their time, skills, and technical assistance. Together, we are working to create opportunities for wildlife to safely cross our mountain highways in North Carolina and Tennessee. 

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Latest News

North Carolina General Assembly Makes Historic Investment in Wildlife Crossings with Recurring Multi-million-dollar Appropriation

Posted on July 8, 2026

The North Carolina Department of Transportation incorporated a wildlife “bench” during the 2022 reconstruction of the bridge at Harmon Den along Interstate 40. Rather than the entire steep bank being covered in granite riprap from top to bottom, a level path built into the slope…

Read more.

Wildlife advocates and state officials meet on I-40 rebuild

Posted on May 19, 2026

Safe Passage recently met with the NCDOT and N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission to collaborate on wildlife crossing opportunities in the I-40 reconstruction zone in the Pigeon River Gorge.

Read more.

NCDOT crews engage in preliminary road work ahead of the final plan's release and implementation.

Word from the Smokies: I-40 rebuild to affect wildlife for decades

Posted on January 27, 2026

The planned wall would be a loss for wildlife that can’t be replaced by improvements elsewhere, Safe Passage advocates say, maintaining optimism that additional mitigations can be incorporated before it’s too late.

Read more.

A pre-Helene aerial view shows I-40’s winding path through the rugged Pigeon River Gorge.

Word from the Smokies: Plans for rebuilding I-40 spur concern for wildlife

Posted on January 17, 2026

In the first project of its kind in North Carolina, NCDOT plans to use roller-compacted concrete to build an enormous wall—20–30 feet tall and averaging 30 feet thick—stabilizing the slope between the road and the river and protecting it from erosion. Those plans, nearing their…

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2025 wins and next steps for wildlife crossings

Posted on December 17, 2025

A wildlife crossings update from Safe Passage: Cheers to an active 2025, plus more ways you can help in 2026.

Read more.

More news

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Subscribe to the Safe Passage newsletter to stay up to date with upcoming events, how you can help, and what the coalition is doing toward wildlife mitigation in the region. 


Bears at guardrail image courtesy of Bridget Donaldson, Virginia Transportation Research Council.

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