Skip to Content
listen live
Home

BC government announces overpass project to protect Radium bighorn sheep

Cranbrook, BC, Canada / 102.9 Rewind Radio - East Kootenay
Matt Van Boeyen
Jun 29, 2023 | 10:31 AM


BC government announces overpass project to protect Radium bighorn sheep

Photo Credit: Pat Morrow

A new overpass south of Radium Hot Springs will reduce vehicle collisions with the area’s iconic bighorn sheep herd.

The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure announced the development of the Radium Wildlife Overpass to cross over Highway 93/95 near Mile Hill.

Wildlife in the area will also benefit from protective fencing and gates spanning about 6 km around the overpass.

Radium Mayor Mike Gray says the overpass project has been major topic of discussion for many years.
“The Ministry of transport has been working with us on this project for a long time and we’re just thrilled to see it finally coming to fruition here,” says Gray. “They’ve been working with First nations, Parks Canada, and us at the Village, and even just local grassroots residents that have been very interested in protecting the sheep.”
Gray calls the sheep an iconic part of the Village of Radium Hotsprings.
“Sharing territory with the sheep is both a blessing and a bit of a curse,” he says. “The blessing is that we get to see these majestic animals up close on seemingly a daily basis. But the curse is that our presence can really interfere or even threaten them, threaten their existence.”

Other recent efforts to reduce collisions with wildlife in the area include signage, flashing LED warning signs and extensive monitoring of the herd.

View more information from the Province below:

A new wildlife overpass south of Radium Hot Springs will reduce vehicle collisions with bighorn sheep, making that stretch of Highway 93/95 safer for residents and other highway users while protecting the iconic local bighorn sheep herd.

The Radium Wildlife Overpass will cross the highway near Mile Hill, a location chosen through collaboration between the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, the Ministry of Forests, the Village of Radium Hot Springs and Parks Canada.

The project includes approximately six kilometers of wildlife fencing and gates that will guide animals to the overpass and safely over the highway.

The project will be going to tender in the coming weeks.

“It’s vital that we keep people safe and protect these animals that are so critical to regional biodiversity,” said Rob Fleming, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure. “With the help of our partners, this new overpass will support safe passage for the bighorn sheep, protecting this herd that is so important to local First Nations and all the people of the East Kootenays.”

Project partners include Parks Canada, the Village of Radium Hot Springs, Teck Resources Ltd., the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, the Ktunaxa Nation Council and the Shuswap Band.

Construction on the project is anticipated to begin in the coming weeks.

Other recent efforts to reduce collisions include prominent wildlife signage, flashing LED warning signs indicating the presence of sheep, and a message sign highlighting changes in sheep activity.

The speed limit was also temporarily reduced in the Mile Hill area to 70 kilometres per hour.

Ministry staff have worked with the Shuswap First Nation and Ktunaxa Nation to provide monitoring of the herd.

– With files from the Government of British Columbia

– Mike Gray, Mayor of the Village of Radium Hot Springs

–

Nathan.Leigh@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @1029RewindRadio

Comments

Leave a Reply