Building the great wall of Eagle County

EAGLE –Among the sprawling weeds and rolling hills, you will find Fausto Valencueala and his brother Robert removing debris next to Interstate 70.

"Wood, wire and all kinds of trash," said Valencueala as they worked along the highway near Eagle.

These are the remains of the old fencing that use to run along I-70, which Clint Moyer, a project engineer with the Colorado Department of Transportation, says will be removed to make room for a massive wildlife fence stretching 17 miles.

"One of the largest fence projects we've put together," said Moyer.

The fence will stand 8 feet tall and is so big that some have dubbed it the great wall of Eagle.

"Yes, we are constructing the great wall of Eagle County," said Moyer.

It might draw attention, but a spokesperson for ElectroBraid Fence, the company contracted to build it, says it will help keep motorist and wildlife safer.

"The fencing is really important to put into place," said Susan Lampton with ElectroBraid Fence.

The fence will run between Avon and Eagle on both sides of I-70, and will help keep elk and deer from getting onto the highway and potentially getting hit 75-mile-an-hour traffic.

CDOT says that is a big problem on that stretch of the highway.

"We've had a few accidents out here and we're trying to mitigate all that," said Moyer.

According to CDOT, the state average for accidents involving wildlife is about 6 percent, but between Avon and Eagle the number is up to 25 percent. The fence, when finished by the end of 2008, is expected to reduce that number.