Colorado Parks and Wildlife and Colorado Department of Transportation celebrated the ribbon cutting of the first wildlife crossing along the I-70 Mountain Corridor on Thursday. The wildlife underpass sits near I-70 mile point 254.5, between the Lookout Mountain and Genesee exits, and new wildlife fencing and escape ramps now span for two miles along both directions of the interstate between those exits. CDOT reports the location has the highest number of wildlife-vehicle collisions on I-70 east of the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnel, but the underpass and fencing are expected to decrease collisions with wildlife by up to 90 percent. “Wildlife need to move daily and between seasonal ranges to maintain resiliency in response to habitat conditions and changing pressures on the landscape,” said Jeff Davis, Colorado Parks and Wildlife Director. “With increasing human populations and traffic volumes in Colorado, we need to continue to develop effective solutions for wildlife to access valuable resources to maintain healthy populations. CDOT and CPW have together created statewide approaches to wildlife-highway mitigation and identified where to focus transportation dollars across Colorado to improve safe passage for motorists and wildlife. I’m thrilled to see another component of a statewide plan come to fruition today.” More local videos here: https://bit.ly/2Pa0d1l Subscribe to NEXT: http://bit.ly/2eP1GwI Stay connected: 9NEWS Website: http://www.9news.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ilike9news Twitter: https://twitter.com/9NEWS Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/9newsdenver/ Download the 9NEWS App: https://www.9news.com/appredirect/ Sign up for the 9NEWSLETTER: https://www.9news.com/email 9NEWS (KUSA) is located in Denver, Colorado.