WENATCHEE, Wash. (AP) — Work should be completed next month on a nine-mile fence built along Highway 97A north of Wenatchee to prevent bighorn sheep and deer from turning into road kill.
The Wenatchee World reports (http://bit.ly/ouVTK7 ) the number of animals killed has dropped 80 percent since the first section of fence was finished in December 2009. An average of 40 animals had died every year.
The wildlife fence is a joint effort of the Fish and Wildlife Department and the state Transportation Department. Originally estimated at about $1 million it will cost nearly $3 million.
Drivers who regularly use the highway near Rocky Reach Dam say they’re glad the risk of colliding with animals has been reduced.
