LINCOLN — Animals can cross Highway 200 near Lincoln a little more safely with the completion of two wildlife underpasses.
The Great Falls Tribune reports the underpasses are similar to those on U.S. Highway 93 north and south of Missoula, and were constructed as traffic on the roadway between Great Falls and Missoula continues to increase.
Transportation officials say over 2,300 vehicles per day travel on the highway that passes through Helena National Forest and is near the Scapegoat Wilderness and water sources that make the area popular for wildlife. The number could rise to over 3,700 by 2034.
Montana Department of Transportation civil engineer Mike Livergood says there are deer tracks and other evidence that animals are using the underpasses, which cost about $350,000 each to build as part of a $10.6 million highway project.