Sunday morning at 10:30 a.m. on a beautiful, clear day, I came upon a young deer that had just been struck by a vehicle on S.R. 224 near St. Mary’s Church.
Another man had witnessed the collision from the church. He told me the driver never stopped.
The deer lay in the middle of the road, alive but unable to move, trying to make sense of injuries from which it would never recover. Just a few hundred feet away were the bloodstains and remains of another deer that had been killed only days earlier. Two tragedies separated by a short distance and a few days, yet connected by the same story.
Unfortunately, this scene has become all too familiar along S.R. 224.
We can debate how to classify the road. UDOT may not consider it a freeway, but the distinction means little to the wildlife that must cross it. To a deer, elk, moose, bobcat, mountain lion, or family of ducks, S.R. 224 is a fast-moving wall of traffic. Crossing it has become a game of chance, and too often the animals lose.
The consequences extend beyond wildlife. Every collision creates danger for drivers, passengers, cyclists and pedestrians. Vehicles swerve. Traffic stops suddenly. A split-second decision can become a life-altering event. Anyone who has struck a large animal — or narrowly avoided doing so — understands how quickly things can go wrong.
As Summit County continues to grow, we are asking wildlife to give up more and more of the habitat they once freely occupied. Roads, neighborhoods and commercial development have fragmented migration routes and daily travel corridors.
While development may be necessary, I believe it comes with a responsibility. If we are going to build our homes and communities in places wildlife has inhabited for centuries, we should also invest in ways for wildlife and people to coexist safely.
That is why it is time to seriously pursue a wildlife crossing on S.R. 224.
Yes, it would be expensive. Yes, it would require cooperation among local governments, UDOT, private partners, and perhaps state and federal funding sources. But some projects are worth undertaking because they reflect who we are and what we value.
The benefits would be substantial: fewer wildlife deaths, fewer vehicle collisions, improved public safety, and greater habitat connectivity. But beyond the practical benefits lies something even more important.
Summit County is fortunate to be a place where wildlife remains part of everyday life. Many visitors experience their first moose elk, or bobcat here. For them, it can be as memorable as seeing an elephant on an African safari or a whale breaching offshore. What feels ordinary to us is extraordinary to many others.
As we prepare to welcome the world to the 2034 Winter Olympics, imagine the message a wildlife crossing would send. Not simply that we built another piece of infrastructure, but that we chose to invest in a future where growth, recreation, transportation, and conservation can coexist. That we recognize the privilege of living among these animals and are willing to act as responsible stewards of the landscape we share.
A wildlife crossing would not just connect two sides of a road. It would connect our values with our actions.
The deer I encountered Sunday morning will not benefit from that vision. But perhaps future generations of wildlife and the people who share this valley with them can.
It is time for us to build something worthy of this place.
Christie Babalis
Park City