It has been a little more than a year since construction on the wildlife crossing has been complete.

And since then, a couple of readers have written into the Reporter, inquiring about the bridge’s usage. The crossing is 40 feet wide and stretches 120 feet across Northeast Novelty Hill Road between Redmond Ridge Drive Northeast and 234th Place Northeast.

The bridge was completed in May 2014 and Rick Brater, who is a road engineer for King County, said they have seen a high use of the crossing.

Brater said they have situated cameras along the structure and they have seen that animals have been utilizing the crossing on a daily basis.

“It’s being used by a diverse group of wildlife,” he said.

The animals that use the crossing include deer, bobcats and coyotes. Brater added that deer have been using the bridge immediately after the crossing was complete. He said typically, it can take up to 3-5 years for a wildlife crossing to really become established and used by the animals — so with the animals already using the bridge regularly, they are ahead of schedule.

Like a standard overpass, the bridge’s clearance is 16 and a half feet. In addition, the county has left room underneath in case they decide to add lanes to the two-lane road. The county has also installed 1,000 feet of fencing on each side of the road — 500 feet in each direction from the bridge — to lead animals toward the bridge in order to cross the road. There is also vegetation planted along the bridge, which creates a barrier between the animals and vehicles as well as a transition from one side of the road to the other.

According to the King County website, the Wildlife Habitat Network located just east of Redmond Ridge Drive Northeast consists of 457 contiguous miles of protected habitat throughout the county. This area is actively used by more than 175 animal species, including bear, cougar, bobcat, coyote and deer. The website states that areas such as this with significant wildlife use “are anticipated to have a higher frequency of vehicular encounters with wildlife, and thus accidents.”

“Nearly half of animal-related car accidents result from drivers swerving to avoid an animal,” the website states. “These areas need to be taken into consideration when managing the county roadway system.”

According to a King County spokesperson, a federal grant through the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) fully funded the $5.5 million project, though the county contributed $300,000 for design and permitting. In addition, the county is responsible for continuing maintenance of the crossing.

Brater said this wildlife crossing is the first ever to be built in western Washington.