Work could begin next summer on the first phase construction of both a wildlife crossing bridge and underpass that will go up near the northern New Mexico town of Cuba.
The New Mexico Department of Transportation says the project will be built along a vast rural stretch of US Route 550, which has been identified as one of the state’s busiest areas for mule deer and elk crossings, among other wildlife.
Figures show that such crossings between 2009 and 2022 led to more than two hundred crashes.
Transportation Department officials have said that design work on the project is around 60% done and expected to be fully completed later this fall.
The first phase of the four-phase work come with a $40 million price tag.
The project area just to the north of Cuba has previously been identified by the DOT’s Wildlife Corridors Action Program as the “state’s top priority” wildlife crossing hotspot.
September 18, 2026
By Garry Boulard
Photo of wildlife crossing at Hwy 550 courtesy of New Mexico Department of Transportation
