$50 million investment will help decrease wildlife-vehicle collisions across the state
[Albuquerque, April 11, 2025] – New Mexicans are applauding Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham signing a game-changing $50 million appropriation to the Wildlife Corridors Fund into law. Within the 2025 General Appropriations Act (HB 2), this funding will fuel the implementation of the Wildlife Corridors Action Plan (WCAP) that identifies priority locations for overpasses and underpasses to protect wildlife and save lives. The plan was finalized by the New Mexico Department of Transportation and New Mexico Department of Game and Fish in 2022.
The investment is the largest single appropriation dedicated to terrestrial wildlife crossings in the country. The bill passed with bipartisan support and was spearheaded by Senate Pro Tem Mimi Stewart, Representative Nathan Small, Majority Floor Leader Peter Wirth, Speaker Javier Martinez, Majority Whip Dayan Hochman-Vigil and Senator George K Muñóz.
Since finalizing the WCAP in 2022, the New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) has begun implementation of a number of the projects identified in the plan, including its top priority project on US 550 north of Cuba, NM. Motorists experience many wintertime collisions with deer and elk in this area, earning one section of road the nickname, ‘Valley of Death.”NMDOT completed a feasibility study for this project in 2023 and expects the final engineering and design to be completed by the end of this year. With this new funding in place, the department will be able to begin construction in 2026 as planned.
Wildlife-vehicle collisions (WVCs) endanger drivers and wildlife. There are roughly 1,200 crashes reported to law enforcement each year, costing drivers nearly $20 million in vehicle damage, emergency response, and hospital bills. This does not include the hidden costs associated with missed work and longer-term costs. Previously implemented projects have shown that wildlife crossings pay for themselves relatively quickly, with a sharp – if not total – reduction in wildlife-vehicle collisions. In Colorado, for example, recent data show the success achieved after the state installed seven crossings over state Highway 9 near Kremmling, and WVCs were essentially eliminated.
There is strong bipartisan support for creating wildlife crossings. According to Colorado College’s State of the Rockies Project 2024 Conservation in the West Poll, 80 percent of New Mexico voters surveyed said they “support constructing wildlife crossing structures across major highways that intersect with known migration routes.”
Additional WVC hotspots have been identified across New Mexico, including U.S. 180 and NM 90 near Silver City, US 550 and I-25 at Bernalillo, I-25 on Glorieta Pass, and U.S. 70 in the Sacramento Mountains near Bent, NM.
New Mexicans are looking forward to working with the New Mexico Department of Transportation, New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, local elected officials, and other communities to make roads safer for drivers and wildlife alike.
Support for Funding for Wildlife Crossings
“I am proud that New Mexico has committed the largest investment in lifesaving wildlife corridors in the country to date. Wildlife corridors are a win-win for everyone: drivers are safer, wildlife gets to live and have minimal impact to their natural behavior, and the state saves money in the long run with fewer accidents to clear. Wildlife doesn’t respond to state boundaries. Let’s work together in the West to intersect wildlife corridors.”
– Senate Pro Tem Mimi Stewart
This monumental investment is a testament to the state’s steadfast commitment to safer roadways for both people and wildlife. New Mexico is setting the standard for wildlife crossings that achieves both human safety and preserves vital corridors that allow wildlife to freely roam.”
– Bryan Bird, Southwest Director, Defenders of Wildlife
“This is a truly historic investment that deserves to be celebrated. Across the west, states are trying to fund wildlife crossings, but New Mexico just set a new standard for what it means to invest in making roads safer for wildlife and drivers.”
– Michael Dax, western program director, Wildlands Network
“Hunters rely on robust populations of wildlife. Robust populations of wildlife depend on large, intact habitats that provide animals with the ability to move freely across the landscape. The barrier to this movement caused by roadways negatively impacts wildlife and also poses huge risks to the safety of motorists. In addition to the tragic loss of life of humans and the wild others, wildlife/vehicle collisions cost New Mexicans millions of dollars every year. This investment provides safe passage for wildlife and humans which saves lives and money while supporting robust populations of wildlife for hunters and all New Mexicans.”
– Jesse Deubel, Executive Director, New Mexico Wildlife Federation
“With over 1,000 wildlife-vehicle collisions taking place in New Mexico every year, this investment in the safety of New Mexico’s drivers and wildlife was desperately needed. Hunters applaud the efforts of legislators and our Governor in prioritizing wildlife connectivity and driver safety in HB 2.”
– Marcel Gaztambide, Southwest Field Manager, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership
“New Mexico’s $50-million investment is the largest single appropriation dedicated to terrestrial wildlife crossings in the country, and it is a win-win for both drivers and wildlife. The funding will reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions—saving lives and money. Every year in New Mexico, these crashes cost drivers nearly $20 million in property damage, emergency response, and health care costs, not including losses to the state’s hunting and outdoor recreation industries. Pew applauds New Mexico’s agencies and state lawmakers—including Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham; Senators George K. Muñoz, Mimi Stewart, and Peter Wirth; and Representatives Meredith A. Dixon, Dayan Hochman-Vigil, Javier Martínez, and Nathan P. Small—for making this historic investment and looks forward to working with officials to make New Mexico’s roads safer for all.”
– Patrick Lane, senior manager, The Pew Charitable Trusts’ U.S. conservation project
“This significant influx of state money is a huge step toward addressing our state’s considerable wildlife crossing challenges. Signage, fencing, overpass/underpass infrastructure and habit improvement projects help our precious wildlife and most importantly greatly reduce dangerous vehicle collisions. Thanks to all our amazing legislative champions and Governor Luján-Grisham.”
– Garrett Vene Klasen, Northern Conservation Director, New Mexico Wild