Paul Boehlke-KTVB

Warning signs are posted along Warm Springs Avenue.

BOISE - If you drive part of Warm Springs Avenue at night – you’ll have to slow down.

The Ada County Highway District is turning down the speed limit on the road from the Idaho Shakespeare Festival amphitheater and Highway 21 for the winter months.

An abundance of deer in the area is leading to collisions with cars during the dark part of the day – creating a safety risk.

Now, the speed limit will be changed to 35 MPH at anytime it is dark outside – down from the normal 45 MPH.

“Reducing the speeds makes the road safer for the deer and the motorists,” said ACHD Commissioner Carol McKee said in a prepared statement.  “Safety is at the heart of everything we do, and this is something we can do to help.”

Deer make their way from the Sawtooth and Bosie mountains down to the river area seeking warmer, less snowy conditions.

“New development in the area is impacting where the deer are located,” said Ed Bottum with Idaho Fish and Game.  “Drivers should expect to see them crossing Warm Springs where we haven’t seen them before.”  

Bottum says he counted more than 40 deer in the area on Tuesday night.

The program to reduce speeds in the area started in 2001 – after a high number of deer died in vehicle collisions in the area.