Key Highlights
- First wildlife‑friendly expressway overpass corridor launched in India.
- Spans 12 km of the Delhi‑Mumbai Expressway through the Ranthambore Tiger Reserve buffer zone.
- Includes five 500‑m overpasses and a 1.2‑km underpass—India’s longest wildlife tunnel.
- Equipped with 4‑m high walls, 2‑m sound barriers and a plantation of 35,000 trees.
- Sets a precedent for large‑scale infrastructure that co‑exists with biodiversity.
Detailed Insights
Engineered to follow the natural contour of the land, the corridor’s overpasses blend seamlessly with the surrounding topography, reducing habitat disruption. Construction crews positioned workers every 200 m, a strategy that limited potential disturbance to roaming tigers, bears and other fauna. Post‑construction, motion‑sensitive cameras captured clear evidence of wildlife—particularly tigers and bears—using the passage, confirming the corridor’s operational success. Complementary eco‑friendly measures such as rainwater harvesting systems and modular building techniques have further minimized environmental impact and waste generation.
Key Concepts
- Wildlife corridor – a protected pathway that allows fauna to move safely between fragmented habitats.
- Overpass – a raised bridge that enables animals to cross over a roadway without interaction with traffic.
- Underpass – a tunnel carved beneath a road to provide a safe crossing for wildlife.
- Eco‑sensitive infrastructure – development projects that incorporate environmental safeguards and biodiversity considerations.
- Buffer zone – a transitional area surrounding a protected reserve that buffers it from human encroachment.