 |
 |
 |
|
CDOT plans to expand use of wildlife-detection systems |
|
Monday, November 21, 2011 07:14 |
|
Photo by Jerry McBride, Durango Herald
By SHANE BENJAMIN, DURANGO HERALD
The Colorado Department of Transportation installed an experimental wildlife-detection system three years ago on U.S. Highway 160 to warn drivers about deer and elk between Durango and Bayfield.
Despite some early hiccups and a lack of data, the agency says the system is “achieving marked success” and will be used in other locations in Southwest Colorado. But many drivers question the effectiveness of the system and call it “a waste of money.”
CDOT installed the system in 2008 along a one-mile stretch of Highway 160 east of Durango, a busy migration corridor with a high rate of wildlife-vehicle collisions.
The $1.2 million system is supposed to detect large animals near the road and activate 40-inch by 60-inch lighted signs that read “Wildlife Detected.”
Underground cables running the length of both sides of the highway detect changes in the Earth’s electromagnetic field when wildlife cross the wire, which triggers the lighted signs. The cables are buried 1 foot deep, 30 feet from either side of the highway.
Read full story |
