Key Details
NHAI’s Wildlife Mitigation Measures & Structures describes how wildlife protection is being incorporated into the planning and construction of national highways.
More than 2,150 structures have been constructed and/or proposed along national highways. The figure is not a count of completed crossings.
Around ₹19,700 crore has been invested over the past five years in wildlife mitigation infrastructure and related environmental safeguards.
Measures include animal underpasses, overpasses, viaducts, tunnels, adapted culverts and canopy crossings, alongside fencing, signs and speed regulation.
Guide fencing and noise barriers have been provided along more than 300 km of highway alignments. NHAI also reports using camera traps to monitor animal movement.
Crossings Are Planned Around Wildlife Movement
A highway can divide a habitat even when no land is permanently lost: animals may be unable to reach feeding or breeding areas, or may be forced onto the road. NHAI says it selects mitigation measures according to a corridor’s ecological sensitivity, animal movement patterns and engineering conditions, rather than applying one crossing design everywhere.
The document describes passages for different kinds of wildlife, from large animal underpasses and bridge-integrated crossings to culverts and canopy crossings. Their purpose is to maintain movement between habitats while reducing wildlife–vehicle collisions.
A Crossing Needs Supporting Measures
A passage is only one part of the intervention. Fencing can guide animals towards it, while signs and speed controls address collision-prone stretches. Noise barriers and other measures seek to reduce disturbance near highways. NHAI says camera trapping helps it assess wildlife movement and periodically evaluate these measures.
The document is therefore a record of NHAI’s approach and reported investments, not evidence that collisions have fallen nationwide. Its combined figure for built and proposed structures does not show how many are operational.
Policy Relevance
Highway design: Identifying wildlife movement early in route planning can make crossings and other safeguards part of the project design, rather than additions after a road has divided a habitat.
Conservation and road safety: Passages, fencing and speed measures address related risks for animals and motorists; their effectiveness depends on whether animals use the intended routes.
Evidence of results: A breakdown of completed versus proposed structures, together with camera-trap observations and collision trends, would make it easier to judge what the reported investment has achieved.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: Of the 2,150-plus structures reported, how many are operational, and what do wildlife-use and collision data show about their effectiveness?
Follow the Full Update Here: NHAI, Wildlife Mitigation Measures & Structures | Ministry press release