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SPRINGVILLE -- There's still plenty of work to be done on cars inside this auto body shop. Just not the kind of work caused by animals.
"The collisions in the area have actually gone down in the last couple of years, we've noticed," said Matt Wing at Art City Auto Body.
Real elk and deer can cause a lot of damage, and he's had plenty of business because of them from nearby Spanish Fork Canyon.
"Elk hit at 70 miles per hour can almost total a big, jacked up dodge pickup," he said.
Two years ago, though, UDOT put in these types of bridges along Highway 6. The result? Vehicle-wildlife crashes have gone down. In the past year there were only 2 animal collisions along this popular animal spot at mile marker 200, instead of the past average of 6-8.
Sure it's just a small bridge underneath the highway. But it's making a huge difference in keeping drivers and wildlife safe.
In fact, The Utah Department of Transportation recently received an award for building those structures. They're designed to keep wildlife off of the highway and instead go underneath them.
We've really been surprised at the success of these structures on Highway 6.
–- Doug Sakaguchi, DWR Habitat biologist.
There are places along Highway 6 in Spanish Fork Canyon in Utah County where deer and elk follow their normal migration patterns. Often, that takes them onto the highway and many times, drivers slam into them. But in the past two years, those collisions have decreased making it safer for all of us and the animals.
"We've really been surprised at the success of these structures on Highway 6," said Doug Sakaguchi, DWR Habitat biologist.
At first he wasn't sure if the crossings would work. But UDOT also built fences along migration areas to force animals under the bridge. And sure enough, the majority of animals used the crossing.
"It's a 98 percent success rate of animals going under the highway instead of crossing on the pavement," Sakaguchi said. "And if you look at animal numbers like that, it doesn't seem like much, but if you're looking at the accumulation of how many accidents occur in that area, it comes out to be quite a few."
It may mean less business for auto body shops but they travel that road too and would rather be safe.
"Those are big animals, and the more we can keep them off the road and keep people safe, that's our goal," said Brandon Weston, a UDOT environmental engineer.
Email:acabrero@ksl.com.
