The Washington State Department of Transportation has recorded the first confirmed bear crossing at the I-90 Snoqualmie Pass wildlife overpass since monitoring began in late 2018.
The bear was spotted using the structure on June 28th, marking a milestone for the crossing after nearly eight years of data collection. WSDOT has logged 9,390 total wildlife visitors at the overpass since recording started.
According to their post, the delayed appearance of bears fits patterns observed elsewhere in North America. Researchers at Banff National Park in Alberta, for example, have reported similar behavior on their own wildlife crossings, noting that bears often take several years to grow comfortable with the structures before beginning to use them regularly.
The hope is that the first documented bear crossing could lead to more frequent visits from the species going forward.
The Snoqualmie Pass overpass is part of a broader network of wildlife crossing structures built along I-90. Combined, the overpasses and underpasses have recorded 38,321 total wildlife crossings since tracking began.
The crossings are designed to reduce collisions between vehicles and animals while reconnecting habitat that was fragmented by the highway. Species using the structures range from large mammals to smaller animals moving through the corridor on foot, hoof or paw.