The passage of two legislative bills earlier this year positioned Jefferson County to receive state funding for wildlife crossings over one of Montana’s hairiest stretches of highway.
Across the U.S., only one state, West Virginia, ranks worse than Montana in terms of the risk of hitting an animal while driving, according to insurer State Farm. And within Montana, few stretches of road are as fraught with wildlife as the main artery of northern Jefferson County.
As detailed in an online map (see image) created by the Montana Wildlife & Transportation Partnership, I-15 from Montana City south toward Boulder has been given the partnership’s Needs Assessment Criterion 1 (NAC1), representing the greatest risk to human safety and property damage due to wildlife-vehicle collisions.
