Abandoned Idaho bridge gets a second life as wildlife crossing

In 1969, a bridge over Interstate 90 and the South Fork Coeur d'Alene River near Osburn, Idaho, was built. For more than half a century, the bridge sat there in the sun, with not much use. The bridge was meant to serve a growing town. But the mining companies bought the land on the far side, blocked expansion and even demolished half the structure. And the bridge ended up being a slab of concrete that carried no vehicles and served no purpose.Carl Wilson, a resident and truck driver who spent more time on Idaho highways than anywhere else, thought about this structure. Driving past roadkill day after day, Wilson began to wonder if that dead-end bridge might have a second life.He had watched local elk and deer herds, and other animals, take their chances with semi-trucks and passenger vehicles. The stretch of I-90 near Osburn ranked second-highest in wildlife collision rates on the interstate between Coeur d'Alene and the Montana border. In the past decade alone, nearly 75 animals were struck within two miles of that single bridge. So Wilson asked himself: what if this bridge could save the animals he watched die trying to cross the freeway? He was sure the old overpass could help. ...