Forest officials seek public comment for proposed wildlife crossings in northern Arizona

Lacey Latch, Arizona Republic
Updated ·1 min read

FLAGSTAFF — Coconino and Kaibab National Forest officials are seeking public input about potentially installing up to three elevated wildlife highway crossings in northern Arizona, pending funding availability.

The proposed crossings would be located on Interstate 17 south of Kachina Village, on I-17 north of the Willard Springs exit and on Interstate 40 west of Parks.

The proposal, brought forward by the Arizona Game and Fish Department in collaboration with the Arizona Department of Transportation, is based on years of study, forest officials said in a news release.

These crossings would "reduce potential vehicle-wildlife collisions and increase wildlife population connectivity across the landscape," they said. "Over the long-term, the crossings would benefit local wildlife, decrease the potential for vehicle collisions, and reduce costs to Arizona taxpayers."

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Construction for each crossing would take around six to eight months sometime over the next several years based on funding availability and would be done so to minimize impacts to highway traffic.

Forest officials are accepting public comment until Aug. 29.

You can reach them in multiple ways:

  • E-mail: send to comments-southwestern-coconino@usda.gov (include “NAZ Crossings” in the subject line).

  • Regular mail: send to the Coconino Forest Service, Attention: Mike Dechter, 1824 South Thompson St., Flagstaff, AZ 86001.

  • Fax: send to 928-527-3620; Attention: Mike Dechter, NAZ Crossings.

  • In person: at Coconino's Supervisor’s Office, 1824 South Thompson St., Flagstaff, AZ 86001, between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays.

Reach the reporter at LLatch@gannett.com.

The Republic’s coverage of northern Arizona is funded, in part, with a grant from Report for America. To support regional Arizona news coverage like this, make a tax-deductible donation at supportjournalism.azcentral.com.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Wildlife crossings could be coming to northern Arizona highways