NHAI

The National Highways Authority of India has put up a bridge meant only for animals, placed between the Vagulamalai and Vannathikaradu forest patches in Tamil Nadu.

This structure is part of the Madurai ring-road scheme and sits over the four-lane NH 744A, which runs through a wooded stretch of about 30 km connecting Vadipatti and Thamaraipatti.

An NHAI project director described the bridge as roughly 40 m long and 20 m wide, built to let animals pass above the highway rather than cross the road surface itself.

It is meant to serve larger animals such as gaur, along with spotted deer, wild boar and Indian hares, giving them a route over traffic instead of through it.

Such passages can take different forms — tunnels, overpasses, green bridges or viaducts — and how well they work depends on where they are placed, their design, and which species they serve.

Highways cutting through forest land can fragment animal habitats, cause roadkill, and cut off access to feeding or breeding grounds, splitting populations into smaller groups.

By building a dedicated wildlife bridge instead of relying only on traffic management, the project aims to let vehicles keep moving on NH 744A while reducing harm to animal movement between the two forest sections.