India has welcomed a bright new example of infrastructure designed with both people and wildlife in mind.
On April 14, the National Highways Authority of India officially opened the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway, a six-lane route linking India’s capital with Dehradun, near the Himalayan foothills. Along with improving travel between the two cities, the project includes a remarkable feature for the region’s animals: a 6.8-mile passage beneath the roadway that allows wildlife to move safely through the landscape.
In a joint press release, the Wildlife Institute of India and the National Highways Authority of India celebrated the project as a hopeful step forward.
“The corridor marks a significant milestone in the development of sustainable infrastructure, demonstrating that National Highway development can coexist with the preservation of ecologically sensitive areas,” the agencies said.
The surrounding forest areas of Asharodi and Ganeshpur are rich with life, including some of the world’s most vulnerable species. Tigers, elephants, greater hornbills, and king cobras all live in the neighboring habitat, making safe passage especially important.
To protect these animals, the expressway includes an extensive system of crossings built specifically for wildlife.
“The 20 kilometer-long stretch between Ganeshpur and Asharodi features a total of 10.97-kilometer long animal underpass designed specifically to facilitate unobstructed animal movement,” the agencies explained. “This engineering milestone includes one of Asia’s largest wildlife elevated corridors, standing at an average height of 6 to 7 meters to accommodate even the largest mammal.”
And the animals have already shown that the design works.
Before construction was officially finished, researchers with the Wildlife Institute of India and the National Highways Authority of India studied the crossings for 40 days. During that time, cameras captured more than 40,000 images of animals using the underpass.
“40,444 were attributed to 18 unique wild species utilising the underpass, including various carnivores, herbivores, ungulates, pheasants, and primates,” the agencies stated. “The golden jackal was the most frequently captured, followed closely by Nilgai, Sambar, and spotted deer. Smaller mammals, including the Indian hare, also showed consistent movement through the structures.”
The passage has also proved helpful for elephants, one of India’s most treasured and threatened species.
“Notably,” the agencies added, “the study also recorded 60 instances of the elephants safely utilising the corridors, establishing that even the largest wild animals can navigate the new infrastructure to maintain their natural migration patterns.”
India is home to about 22,446 wild elephants, representing roughly 60% of the world’s remaining Asian elephants. The species is listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, but conservation work across the country continues to bring encouraging progress.
Organizations such as Wildlife SOS have helped advance important protections for elephants in recent years, including India’s first Humane Elephant Rescue Center, India’s first elephant hospital, and a specially designed “elephant” ambulance to assist elephants in distress.
Now, the Delhi-Dehradun Economic Corridor adds another meaningful layer of protection. By helping elephants, deer, leopards, peacocks, jackals, and many other animals avoid dangerous road crossings, the project offers a practical way to reduce preventable traffic collisions while keeping natural movement patterns intact.
The agencies closed their announcement with a continued commitment to this kind of thoughtful development:
“NHAI remains committed to integrating environmental sustainability into National Highway development and will continue to adopt innovative mitigation strategies and measures, including data-driven approaches to balance infrastructure growth with ecological and biodiversity conservation.”
Header image: Wildlife Institute of India, National Highways Authority of India
