Buchanan County supervisors unanimously backed a proposal to plan wildlife crossings along Corridor Q after learning that 45 collisions involving elk have been reported since a major section of the highway opened in November 2023.
Jackie Rosenberger, elk project leader for the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, addressed the board during its Oct. 5 regular meeting, outlining efforts to protect motorists and elk while preserving the benefits both the highway and the restored herd bring to the county.
Rocklick District Supervisor Craig Stiltner made a motion to provide a letter of support for the proposed project. North Grundy District Supervisor Lee Dotson seconded the motion, which passed unanimously.
The Virginia Department of Transportation and the Department of Wildlife Resources are preparing a federal grant application to fund preliminary engineering and design for four wildlife underpasses and accompanying fencing along a little more than five miles of Corridor Q.
The proposed study area extends from the Kentucky state line bridge to the intersection with Bull Creek Road, or Route 609, according to materials provided with the presentation.
Rosenberger said the collisions became a problem after roughly eight to nine miles of Corridor Q opened between the Breaks area and Southern Gap Road in November 2023.
“We did not have a problem with elk-vehicle collisions prior to that road opening,” Rosenberger said.
A few of the reported collisions occurred on Southern Gap Road, but most were on Corridor Q. Project materials show that 24 occurred along the section targeted for the proposed underpasses.
For Southern Gap, known as the Elk Capital of Virginia, the challenge is protecting a wildlife attraction while keeping the road safe for residents and visitors.
Rosenberger emphasized that she views the highway and elk as complementary parts of the county’s economic development.
“To me, the elk and the road are complementary, and they’re serving the same purpose, which is to help economic development in this county, to bring people in this county,” she said.
“That road is a very positive thing, and so are the elk. In fact, people are watching the elk from the road.”
Corridor Q shares portions of its alignment with the Coalfields Expressway. As traffic has begun using the new highway, wildlife officials have worked with VDOT on immediate measures to warn motorists about elk.
Those efforts include yellow elk crossing signs and flashing lights. Rosenberger said eight new flashers were installed at the beginning of the summer, bringing the total to eight along Corridor Q and two on Southern Gap Road.
The warnings can help, she said, but they depend on drivers seeing them and responding by slowing down or watching more closely for animals.
Rosenberger said research shows motorists can become less responsive to signs and flashing lights over time, especially when they regularly travel the same road.
VDOT also is testing an animal detection system along a half-mile section of Corridor Q. The equipment is intended to detect animals on or beside the highway and activate a message board about a quarter-mile ahead of that section, warning approaching motorists to slow down.
Rosenberger said that approach could be useful at a specific collision site, but elk are being struck throughout the road.
“Those systems are really beneficial when you have a particular hotspot where you have animals getting hit, but we don’t really have a hotspot,” she said. “The whole road is a hotspot right now.”
The proposed underpasses would offer a longer-term approach by allowing animals to cross beneath the highway. Fencing would help keep them out of traffic and guide them toward those crossings.
Rosenberger said the proposal builds on a study conducted with VDOT before the road opened. She appeared before the board about three years ago to discuss that work.
The agencies now hope to use the Federal Highway Administration’s Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program to move the project into preliminary engineering and design.
“It’s a necessary step in VDOT’s project development process that first we have to do preliminary engineering and design work before you go for funding for crossing structures,” Rosenberger said.
The estimated cost to bring all four underpasses to the 90% design stage is approximately $4.96 million. That amount covers planning and engineering, with construction funding to be pursued later.
The federal program requires a 20% nonfederal match, putting the matching share at approximately $992,000.
Rosenberger asked the board to consider both a support letter and a commitment toward the matching funds. She said other organizations and entities also would be approached, and the proposal could be adjusted depending on the commitments secured.
“Now we could, depending on how much match commitment we are able to get, we can scale back and we can also scale up,” she said. “But that’s our goal right now.”
Rosenberger told supervisors the application deadline is Nov. 16. She requested letters at least a week beforehand to give the agencies time to assemble the application.
A template letter is available for the county to personalize, she said. The letter would demonstrate local support for the state agencies’ efforts and strengthen the application.
The board approved providing that support. No specific county funding commitment was included in the motion.
Rosenberger also explained that a pledge toward the match would not require an immediate payment.
The timetable for selecting grant recipients is uncertain, she said. After an award, it could take another eight to 12 months for federal officials and VDOT, the lead applicant, to complete a contract obligating the funds.
“So we’re talking at least a year in the future until you could even need to have cash in hand,” Rosenberger said.
The planning and design work itself could take another year and a half to two years, she said.
Virginia began restoring elk in 2012, and the herd now numbers more than 250 animals within the state’s Elk Management Zone, which includes Buchanan, Dickenson and Wise counties.
Materials provided with the presentation estimate that elk viewing areas attract 8,000 to 10,000 visitors annually, adding another reason to protect the herd and its movement through the area.
For Rosenberger, the goal is to help the elk and the highway continue serving the county while reducing the danger where their paths meet.
“We’re just trying to ease the issue,” she said.
