GRETNA -- The Nebraska Department of Roads is going to great lengths to keep deer from crossing Interstate 80 near the Platte River between Lincoln and Omaha.

When the department expanded the interstate to six lanes, it included wide wildlife crossings beneath four bridges.

To funnel the deer to those crossings, the department plans to build an 8-foot-high fence along a 4-mile stretch between the Mahoney Interchange and Pflug Road.

The fence will be electrified for three miles on the east side of the river, where deer like to eat in cornfields. A one-mile stretch along the west side of the river will have only woven-wire fencing because of the proximity of Eugene T. Mahoney State Park, cabins and other tourist attractions.

The department says the $1.1 million fence is needed because that stretch of the interstate has the highest deer-vehicle collision rate in the state.

Craig Bolz, who farms between Palmyra and Eagle, believes that's too much money to spend on fencing. He said it could be done for a lot less using telephone poles, wire fencing and rolls of barbed wire.

"I came here to tell the state workers that the cost of this is insanity," said Bolz, who attended an informational meeting Tuesday afternoon at the Nebraska Crossing shopping center. "It's the government dealing with the government."

Bolz said the real problem is the deer: There's just too many. He's in favor of reducing the population; even it means killing the animals and tossing them into a ditch for coyote food.

"If you kill the deer we would not have to put up a deer fence," he said.

Terry Gibson, an assistant roadway design engineer in charge of the interstate expansion project, said this is the department's first attempt at a deer fence project and it was done in consultation with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.

"They came up with what was needed," Gibson said.

Both agencies spent about five years studying the best way to keep deer from crossing the interstate at that location. They even looked at motion detectors that activate warning lights to inform drivers of the presence of deer. But studies show they don't work on high-volume roadways because there's a potential for drivers who slow down to be rear-ended.

Accident rates between 1998 and 2003 showed 2.6 deer hits per mile per year on the east side of the Platte River and 4.2 hits per mile per year on the west side of the river. Damages ranged from $1,500 to $4,000 per vehicle.

Nobody knows exactly how many deer can be found in the area. A couple of local farmers who attended the informational meeting estimated between 400 and 800, depending on the time of year.

Duane Arp, law enforcement supervisor for the commission's southeast Nebraska district, said that's on the low end.

"Per square mile it has the highest (density) of any area in the state," he said.

Arp said the commission is working to reduce the deer population in that area by trying to get hunters to shoot does. But he said it's difficult because most of the land is privately owned and access is limited.

Tom Schram, who farms in the area with his brothers, said if the fence will keep the deer off the interstate it will help. But he cautioned that the animals, which do a lot of damage to crops, are very resourceful.

"It won't keep them entirely off," Schram said.

Ron Styskal of Ashland said he's seen fences used successfully in western Colorado to control elk. But he is concerned about the cost and where the money is going to come from in these tight economic times.

Brian Johnson, who designed the deer fencing project, said 90 percent will come from the Federal Highway Administration and 10 percent will come from the state roads agency. He said the cost was included as part of the expansion of the interstate. Construction should begin this fall and be completed by next spring.

Reach Algis J. Laukaitis at 402-473-7243 or alaukaitis@journalstar.com.