Safe Passage

The I-40 Pigeon River Gorge Wildlife Crossing Project

Haywood County

NCDOT calls for public comment on 10-year project plan

Now through Friday, Oct. 28, the North Carolina Department of Transportation is accepting public input on its transportation plan for 2024-2033.

The plan, known officially as the State Transportation Improvement Program, is updated approximately every two years and identifies the construction funding and schedule for projects statewide over a 10-year period.

NCDOT uses this public commentary to determine needs and interest levels for prioritizing projects across the state.

The Safe Passage Fund Coalition asks that supporters consider submitting comments that advocate for wildlife crossing projects in Haywood County, along the Pigeon River Gorge.

Suggested comment topics include:

  • Proven solutions to prevent wildlife–vehicle collisions include: improving existing structures like culverts and bridges that wildlife use to cross busy roads, or building new wildlife overpasses and underpasses so wildlife do not have to cross at road grade. Wildlife crossing structures have been shown to reduce motorist collisions involving wildlife by up to 97%.

  • Consider adding wildlife-friendly infrastructure in design and planning for bridge improvements already planned by NCDOT.

  • Construct large-mammal underpasses to reduce dangerous collisions with species such as white-tailed deer.

  • Construct small-mammal, reptile, and amphibian underpasses to significantly reduce roadkill.

  • Wildlife–vehicle collision-related costs add up to roughly $12 billion in the U.S. annually. The cost of a deer–vehicle collision averages around $6,000. Wildlife crossings can be costly upfront, but quickly pay for themselves by reducing the economic effects of collision emergency response, damages and repairs, medical bills, and reduced ecotourism dollars from wildlife viewing or hunting.

  • Every 26 seconds (or less) a driver hits an animal in the United States, making highways one of the greatest barriers to wildlife movement.

  • In addition to killing 1-2 million large animals every year, these collisions cause 200 human fatalities and more than 26,000 injuries nationwide.

  • Road mortality is a serious threat to 21 endangered and threatened species in the U.S.

  • The U.S. Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, passed by Congress in late 2021, includes $350 million for wildlife crossing infrastructure projects through a competitive grant program. With smart investment and continued public support, North Carolina can make its roads safer for people and wildlife alike.

Please consider filling out NCDOT’s survey and voicing your support for wildlife-friendly infrastructure in upcoming projects to improve safety for wildlife and motorists alike. All comments must be received by 5 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 28.

SUBMIT MY COMMENTS TO NCDOT

NCDOT to begin construction on wildlife crossing at Harmon Den

The bridge over Harmon Den Road at Interstate 40 Exit 7. Photo courtesy of Google Maps Satellite imagery

On Nov. 3, 2021, the North Carolina Department of Transportation announced preparations for significant construction on Interstate 40 over Harmon Den Road, at Exit 7 in Haywood County. Starting as soon as Nov. 9, a contractor for the NCDOT will begin work to replace the bridge at this exit, integrating wildlife crossings into the new structure.

The Harmon Den area has long been a hotspot for wildlife-vehicle collisions, and Safe Passage: The I-40 Pigeon River Gorge Wildlife Crossing Project has advocated for building a wildlife crossing at this location. When the NCDOT announced plans to replace the existing bridge structure here, Safe Passage and its partners collaborated with the agency for a safe solution to fit this particular site.

The plans for the new Harmon Den bridge include two paths — one on each side of Cold Springs Creek — to help wildlife migrate from one side of the interstate to the other without encountering vehicles. A 9-foot tall fence will guide animals to the trails, away from traffic and under the bridge. 

NCDOT is also evaluating the use of wildlife guards — similar to slotted cattle guards — to prevent deer and elk from walking up the ramps. These measures will hopefully encourage wildlife to cross under the bridge and reduce the possibility of animal accidents. 

“We are excited to be adding protections for wildlife in this and other upcoming NCDOT projects,” said Division 14 Engineer Wanda Austin in a press release from the NCDOT. “We have worked with a wide variety of interest groups, transportation, and wildlife experts to incorporate these unique features to benefit the people who drive the gorge, and the animals that live in the gorge.”

Austin has been a participating stakeholder in the Safe Passage collaborative since its inception in 2017.

The traffic management plan for this project includes a six-month detour around the bridge, with drivers utilizing the exit and onramps. 

In late October and early November, construction crews from contractor Kiewit Infrastructure South have been mobilizing equipment and preparing to begin significant construction activities. By the first week of November, crews had already begun upgrading the exit and entrance ramps. 

As soon as mid-November, all traffic will be funneled into a one-lane pattern prior to the bridge and will use the ramps as a detour around the bridge. Traffic will remain in this pattern into May 2022 while crews remove and replace the deteriorating structure. 

In a feature article published by the Asheville Citizen Times on Nov. 5, Jeff Hunter, National Parks Conservation Association senior program manager and Safe Passage facilitator, thanks the NCDOT for its collaborative work to make I-40 a safer place for wildlife and motorists alike.

Black bears, elk, whitetail deer and other, smaller animals live in the surrounding mountains and naturally migrate across the area — and across the highway — looking for food, mates and habitat, Hunter told the Citizen Times.

In addition to the unique wildlife features, this five-bridge project is also the first of its kind in the state to be administered in a new method with the intent of forming a partnership between the NCDOT, the contractor and the design team. Kiewit Infrastructure earned the $19 million contract for the first of the five, which has a final completion date set in May 2024.

Exit 7 from I-40, where construction will soon begin to replace the existing bridge structure and add crossings for wildlife.

The current I-40 overpass as viewed from Harmon Den Road.

The result of the new construction manager/general contractor method is lower costs and expedited delivery from the first step in the design phase to the last inspection of the new bridge, and new safe passage underneath.

Drivers desiring to go from Asheville to Dandridge, Tenn., may choose to take I-26 West to Kingsport and then I-81 South to Dandridge. This route adds about 45 minutes to driving time compared to a typical trip through the gorge.