Wow this is way cool the benfits to the wildlife and humans will be noticable. Just think less accidents from motorists trying to avoid animals

& less need for the clearing of animals hit by cars. I had never heard of this project until now but I am for one am very excited that this will lead to more projects like this. Way to go CalTrans & hwy 89 Stewardship!

400K for an underpass for animals??? How much were the signs for the deer to read-enter here only..lmao

They should put up motion cameras to see just how many animals actually use this after its open...

The effectiveness of these and "over crossings" has been well documented. Visit the UCD website: http://roadecology.ucdavis.edu/ and look at the "Safe Passages Project." This is the kind of solution to deer-auto accidents that Supervisor Kirk Uhler should have done his homework on, or at least considered, before he jumped the gun and launched his unacceptable recommendation for a "special hunt" with kids 12 to 17 years of age in the rural/residential area of Loomis and Granite Bay.

He wants to kill deer because there have been some deer-auto collisions, but we don't know exactly where, why, or how many accidents there have been. We don't know if a deer hunt will do anything to decrease deer-auto collisions, and we suspect that unsafe speed is more a problem than deer crossing the road. But Uhler didn't want to wait for the facts. Now he's spending OUR Fish and Game taxpayer dollars to fund a study to find out if there is a deer overpopulation problem. Talk about idiocy!

This is an idea that I like. When animals try and cross the highway it creates a problem for them and for the driver of the car or motorcycle.

This is a win/win solution, so why didn't Uhler look at alternatives such as this to his absurd kiddie hunt idea? The man is up to something, probably to benefit some constituent whining about his grapes being eaten by deer. Let him know you don't want children running around with bows and arrows. The wound rate on arrows is astonishingly high, and the amount of suffering is as well. Really, Curt, what were you thinking?

Are you kidding me, you would rather spend $348,000 on an animal underpass rather than education, our failing infrastructure or I don’t know maybe the state deficit. But heck, maybe if people would just pay attention and drive a little more careful i.e.: drive the speed limit, slow down around corners, scan their horizon (the basic stuff you learn in driver education), you wouldn’t have to worry about hitting the deer or any other wildlife. This is just another misuse of public funds on another public “fell good” endeavor. VIVA LA WILDLIFE………….

they are animals and they are going to go wtf they want to...give me a break.

scootero - no, the money can't be spent on those things, because it's a federal grant, one that's been in existence for many years. This project is exactly what this grant is intended to be used for.

Weemar - you are not completely wrong, yes, some animals will not use them. It would appear however, that many will.

A few examples: Banff National Park and Mitigation along the TransCanada Highway (TCH) - 22 underpasses and 2 overpasses - 80% fewer accidents involving wildlife, 97% decrease in the number of elk killed on the road.

Florida and I-75 - 24 underpasses - Primarily constructed for the seriously endangered Florida Panther, (no deaths since their construction), the crossing structures erected in Florida on I-75 has been beneficial for a wide range of species such as the bobcat, deer, great blue heron, wild turkey, and alligators.

Glacier National Park and Highway 2 - 2 underpasses. After the first year, 99.4 percent of the mountain goats that were observed used one of the two underpasses, and by 1984 all of the goats used the underpasses.

I feel it is a worthwhile project. It was funded with a grant specifically allocated for these type of projects. Roads have a significant impact on wildlife and threatens large expanses of habitat. I hope that they will monitor this undercrossing and improve it's effectiveness and learn what works for more projects like this in the future.

kittyv: The Right will always complain about projects like this--even though the money was slated for this & would have just sat there if the project hadn't gone forward. You & I just have more respect for animals.

Thanks for the statistics, but there's no guarantee that the info will penetrate the cranium of some around here.

Davis, the city, tried this a few years ago in their quest to save frogs from being slaughtered while crossing I- 80. The problem was that no one told the frogs, the project was a failure. I hope for the deer and humans alike that this underpass works. My only concern is that like a crosswalk a lot of deer may ignore it and of course, those that are far from it won't use it either. It seems to me that in order for this to be effective the entire roadway should be elevated, then the deer can cross at any point not just this one spot in over 15 miles of roadway.

steelybob - I know most will ignore it, but sometimes I feel like it's worth the effort to try. It would be nice, since it is already built, if people would hope for it's success instead of hoping for it's failure, but whatever.

loomisresident - the Davis frog tunnel was poorly designed for it's intended purpose, good intentions but it was hot metal in the summer. Unfortunately another big part of the reason it wasn't used is because the frogs are gone. Development destroyed a lot of habitat. You are right, it's not just about building a way for them to cross. They can use trees, sometimes fences, and location choice is a big factor. There isn't really a lot of info provided and the picture doesn't show the outside to know what else might have been done besides the tunnel, however after looking up the Highway 89 Stewardship Team, I suspect they have all their ducks in a row.

what's next, a special lane on I-80 - between Auburn and Roseville - that only deer and squirrels can use when visiting other wildlife family members family members in Roseville? Don't get me wrong, I like animals but this is a poor use of funding.

and, how do the deer know to use the tunnel? how much will it cost to train deer on reading signs? will the signs be written in english and spanish (for those deer that are here illegally)?....no one has brought this up.

Deer, like people, will use the path of least resistance and go for the tunnel rather than risk crossing the road. Sure some will attempt the highway... it's called survival of the fittest. The deer that learn to use the tunnel live to have babies that use the tunnel. Theoretically, anyways

sounds like one end or the other would be a good place to be in a tree stand.thanks government ,this will make it easier for my 2 tags to be filled

Shoot towards the highway, brilliant idea, why actually hunt when you can just be lazy and opportunistic? Of course, you may question if it was such a good idea when you are being sold by your cellmate for a pack of cigarettes...

Kitty: Weemar is just stupid... I wouldn't worry about him ever figuring out how to ever even load a gun - much less shoot one.

kittyv, there are a lot of deer in that section of hiway 89 between Truckee and Sierraville, I drive it a few times a year and nevert fail to see deer, I try not to drive it during the hours that the deer are active. I have had a car v. deer collision and don't want another. I hope it succeeds in at least preventing some accidents, one tunnel in 11 miles is not enough, it will serve a very small amount of the population.

Florida, I-75, better known as Gator alley, that's another road I'm very familiar with. I can't say with any degree of certainty for whom the passes were built, the Florida Panthers or the gators. I know that people were complaining about the number of accidents caused by the gators, driving that road at night guaranteed numerous sighting of the gators, people swerved to avoid them and guess what happened next. I don't recall the panther being involved when the project started, that doesn't mean I'm right though. Anyway if it works, that's great.

Now, if someone could build an underpass for this cold I can't seem to shake they would have my eternal gratitude.

Have a great day.

I am not trying to say that using funds to preserve wildlife is a misuse of money, but what I am saying is in these economic times there are better ways to spend the money. Grants are a great way to get money for an organization or a cause, but there are also a lot of useless grants out there that are just some politician’s pet project and a waste of taxpayer dollars that could be used on more important things.