Alberta Transportation is considering a plan to build a wildlife underpass and fence in the Crowsnest Pass, similar to the ones in Banff National Park.

Conservation biologist Dale Paton says Highway 3 cuts right through the natural path used by many animals including bears, cougars, deer and elk.

“This is the worst place in southern Alberta for motor vehicle accidents with animals,” he says, adding more than 150 animals are killed there every year.

It’s why Paton, along with a team of experts and Crowsnest Pass residents created the Highway 3 Corridor Project.

“Do a trench, all the way across the highway,” Paton explained of the project, adding it includes building an underpass in one area and a fence in another.

Tracy Lee, a researcher with the Miistakis Institute, likes the idea.

“We think it’s a win-win for everyone — good for people, wildlife, cost effective,” Lee said.

The underpass would cost about $1 million, but Lee says reducing collisions would save money in the long run.

In Banff, fencing along the Trans-Canada Highway has reduced animal-vehicle collisions by 80 per cent.

Alberta Transportation is reviewing the plan and can’t say when a decision will be made.