‘Red patches on the road’: Alberta wildlife corridors reduce animal-car collisions

Almost every day when Blair Painter drives on the scenic Rocky Mountain highway near his home, the grey asphalt is stained red somewhere along the way.

Almost every day when Blair Painter drives on the scenic Rocky Mountain highway near his home, the grey asphalt is stained red somewhere along the way.

And Painter, the mayor of Crowsnest Pass, says it’s hard to find any driver who hasn’t had at least one close call with wildlife on the area’s busy transportation corridors.

But he expects Alberta’s growing network of wildlife overpasses and underpasses will make it safer for all.

The Crowsnest Pass, connecting Alberta with British Columbia via Highway 3, is the latest area in a growing provincial network of fences, underpasses and overpasses funnelling wildlife through their natural habitat but out of harm’s way from the steady highway stream of stream of trucks and cars.

“It’s something we should have considered years ago. I think they’re invaluable,” Painter said in an interview.

Work on the underpass east of the community is well underway.

It’s critical, Painter said.

“I think (the Crowsnest Pass) is one of the highest animal collision areas in the province. I was at a meeting out of town recently and I almost got one there,” Painter said in an interview.