Breckenridge officials weren’t quite ready to hand over a requested $150,000 to a wildlife crossing project on the eastern portion of Vail Pass and in areas near Blue River due to uncertainties around federal funding and concerns about the project actually coming to fruition.

Open Space and Trails Manager Duke Barlow brought Breckenridge Town Council members a recommendation from the Breckenridge Open Space Advisory Commission for the monetary contribution to go toward the final design phase of the project at an April 8 meeting.

The East Vail Pass Wildlife Crossing Project is years in the making with roots dating back to 2017, when the Dillon Ranger District of the U.S. Forest Service created the countywide connectivity plan for wildlife movement. A group called Summit County Safe Passages is driving the plan and has identified key areas where wildlife crossings are occurring across major local roads and Interstate 70, including two in Blue River and one on east Vail Pass between Copper and Vail. 

The project near East Vail Pass consists of one overpass, one underpass, one “buried bridge” and 16 miles of fencing to safely route wildlife across Interstate 70 between Copper Mountain and the summit of Vail Pass. 

Barlow explained the chief concern among open space commissioners, and the majority of Town Council members ultimately agreed with their concerns. 

“What becomes of this money if the town pledges it towards a design phase for a project that never reaches full construction given the uncertainty of federal funding?” he asked. 

Barlow said the crux of the project’s purpose is the health of wildlife and economics, which helped garner the open space commission’s support.

Barlow explained the Gore Range is a historic elk movement corridor, and Colorado Parks and Wildlife has collar data that shows the highway is blocking the elk from migrating and fragmenting some members of the herd. 

“Those herds, they suffer,” he said. “They have lower survival rates and population levels because they don’t have access to their historical resources or the ability to mate as much and expand the herd.” 

He said while the project’s location “feels a little bit distant, Vail Pass to Breckenridge,” the reality is these are the same wildlife groups in Breckenridge and there’s links between elk populations and numerous other species in both areas. 

The Open Space Advisory Commission also had concerns regarding public safety and economics that ultimately tie into real-life costs. Barlow shared a recent estimate detailing that vehicle and wildlife collisions on the east side of Vail Pass cost around $696,000 annually. 

Council Todd Rankin showed support, noting it would be a “minimal” percentage of open space funds going toward the spend. 

“I’ve actually almost got run over by an elk descending out of there … There’s definitely animals there, (and) one of the things I’ve heard as someone in real estate is less the size of (local animal herds are less) than they were 20 years ago,” he said. 

Council member Jay Beckerman, who noted he has seen this same presentation given three times now, said he appreciated the goal of the project, but he said at the end of the day the amount of money the open space department has to spend isn’t a “bottomless fund.”

He worried about other open space acquisitions and project opportunities having to be passed on because spending on this project ate into the fund. 

“At this point of the game with federal funding so at risk, and maybe perhaps non-existent, and with the uncertainty of where this plan goes, I’d be reluctant and against spending the money into the planning phase,” he said. “I would love to encourage them to come back when it comes to construction time and have this conversation.” 

Council members Carol Saade, Dick Carleton, Steve Gerard and Mayor Kelly Owens agreed and said they would also consider approving funds to go toward construction. Saade wanted to see Summit County Safe Passages increase the public education around the matter so people understand the project’s intent and why it is happening now. 

The team behind it still needs around $450,000 for the final design phase of the project. Barlow said there’s plans for the group to ask the towns of Vail, Silverthorne, Eagle and Frisco for contributions as well. 

A staff memo notes Summit County Safe Passages recently applied for a grant from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, which, if awarded, would cover the remaining funds needed to complete the final design. 

So far, county governments in Eagle and Summit counties have made contributions of $250,000 each, Vail Resorts has made a $145,000 donation, and Arapahoe Basin Ski Area has given around $50,000. In total, around $2.3 million has been raised. 

Construction is slated to cost around $32 million. Barlow pointed to another potential funding opportunity through a bill being proposed at the state intended to raise funds for road infrastructure aimed at reducing vehicle collisions with wildlife, pedestrians and cyclists.