The elk population reintroduced into Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) in 2001 & 2002 is non-migratory and estimated at >225 individuals. Currently, elk are moving beyond the park boundary leading to increased contact and road mortality on a busy portion of I-40 in the Pigeon River Gorge, where the interstate divides Great Smoky Mountains National Park from Pisgah and Cherokee National Forests to the northeast. The interstate is a concern for a diversity of wildlife in the area but especially the wide-ranging elk due to the potential barrier to movement, elk vehicle mortality, and human safety concerns associated with the severity of elk-vehicle collisions. Given the severity of elk-vehicle collisions, the absence of predicable elk movement periods, and the population’s habitat connectivity needs, we monitored elk (n=13) with GPS collars from 2018-2021 and applied subsequent analyses to a 28-mile section of I-40 to identify areas for elk road mitigation. Our objectives were to (1) identify locations where elk cross the interstate (2) identify locations where elk approach or interact with the interstate but do not cross (3) create predictive models of elk movement through the landscape (4) use connectivity models to determine important movement paths across the interstate. This presentation will focus on our methods and results and how our findings were used to identify and prioritize 20 areas along the I-40 in the Pigeon River Gorge where mitigation strategies such as wildlife crossing structures, retrofitting current structures, and fencing could be best implemented to reduce elk vehicle collisions and increase habitat connectivity.