A new fence along both sides of Highway 3 near Crowsnest Pass and Emerald Lake is part of the Alberta government’s plan to reduce the number of car crashes involving wildlife, the province said Thursday.

The government said it’s been working with environmental groups to improve safety for both animals and drivers. It will consist of about 1,440 metres of fencing at a height of 2.4 metres in four sections about nine metres from the shoulder of Highway 3.

“Highway 3 through the Crowsnest Pass is one of the most important links for wildlife in the Yellowstone to Yukon region,” Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative program director Stephen Legault said in a statement.

“This fencing project is an exciting first step in ensuring bighorn sheep, grizzly bears and other iconic wildlife can move up and down the Rocky Mountains safely.” Tweet This

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Alberta Transportation said the fence is designed so that animals—mostly bighorn sheep—caught on the inside can use ramps to jump over and away from the highway. The government said animals are attracted to the area because of nearby lakes and winter road salting.

“There’s a creek called Crowsnest Creek that passes right under the highway, so there’s a natural tunnel for wildlife there. The bighorn sheep however, have been using the path what would seem to be of least resistance and going across the highway,” Legault said.

It’s something highway cleanup crews know all too well.

“In the 8,000 kilometers of highway that we take care of in southern Alberta – we unfortunately pick up about 3,000 roadkill every year,” Fred Desjarlais, vice president of Volker Stevin, said. “In the Crowsnest area specifically, last year we picked up 200 animals.”

The area’s bighorn sheep population has been decimated – with the herd’s numbers dwindling by an estimated 10 per cent every year.

“Picking up roadkill is always unpleasant task… it’s difficult for our people to watch and not every animal that we come across is dead. So a big part of their hearts is in this,” Desjarlais said.

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The Highway 3 project is the first highway/wildlife mitigation construction of this type outside Alberta’s national park areas funded by the provincial government. It’s estimated to cost $280,000 in total.

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Other groups involved in the project include Anatum Ecological Consulting Ltd., Miistakis Institute, Road Watch in the Pass, Western Transportation Institute, Volker Stevin and Alberta Environment and Parks.

The government is also installing new mesh and a five-metre-high wall on a Highway 3 rock face to prevent rocks from falling onto the road.

“This $1.1-million project is replacing a barrier installed in 2012 and will require some lane closures and reduced speeds until it is completed later this year,” the government said Thursday.

With files from Global’s Sarah Offin