CSU Pueblo’s researchers are using artificial intelligence to track animal movement along a busy stretch of Interstate 25, part of a broader effort to cut the thousands of wildlife-vehicle collisions that occur in Colorado each year.
The Southern Colorado Institute of Transportation Technology (SCITT) installed cameras and sensors along a 12-mile segment of I-25 at Raton Pass near the Colorado–New Mexico border. The system monitors how deer, elk and other wildlife interact with highway infrastructure, data that could help state officials design safer roads at lower cost.
“The AI detects the animal in each frame and classifies it,” said Saqib Gulzar, an assistant professor at the institute. Cameras recorded activity from August 2022 through July 2024, with additional acoustic monitoring in 2025.
The project began after New Mexico installed wildlife-exclusion fencing on its side of the pass, followed by a spike in wildlife collisions nearby. The CDOT asked CSU Pueblo researchers to analyze how animals were adapting to the new barriers and to identify trouble spots. Eastern Illinois University also partnered in the study.
Students helped collect data, build models and draft reports. The devices ran continuously, while researchers conducted routine site visits throughout the study period.
Early findings show uneven use of culverts and other passage structures. “Culvert use or no use depends on several infrastructure and surrounding factors,” said Trung Duong, an associate professor at the university.
For CSU Pueblo and its nascent transportation institute, the project offers a clear example of the applied, data-driven research they aim to deliver.
Gulzar said, “We’re helping inform how Colorado strengthens highway safety with AI and emerging technologies.”
SCITT plans to expand its monitoring with night-vision capabilities and anticipates additional CDOT funding. Several other states have expressed interest in the methodology.
The wildlife study is one of several AI-driven safety projects underway at the institute. Researchers are working with the Colorado State Patrol on an AI system designed to improve seatbelt use in commercial motor vehicles, and a Department of Labor–funded initiative is developing AI training programs for transportation professionals.
At the Southern Colorado Transportation Conference earlier this year, SCITT leaders outlined their mission to tackle real-world transportation challenges through research and partnerships. “SCITT was created to solve real problems for real people,” said Ann Rajewski, a conference featured speaker.
The institute was established in 2022 by the Colorado General Assembly as a statewide resource for transportation research and innovation. In addition to wildlife safety, SCITT is part of a national rail-safety consortium funded through a $4.6 million Federal Railroad Administration grant.
Conference featured speaker Karen Aspelin noted that half the nation’s transportation workforce is expected to retire within a decade. SCITT leaders say the institute’s student research programs help fill that gap while supporting urgent public-safety needs.
For Islam, the work showcases CSU Pueblo’s growing research capacity and creates meaningful paid opportunities for students. “We’re raising the university’s profile with partners like CDOT and Colorado State Patrol,” he said.
The final report on the I-25 wildlife monitoring project is due in December 2025.
