Even a small road can seriously harm a lot of animals, with habitat loss, noise pollution, and, of course, animal collisions. By giving animals a way to pass over major roadways, wildlife crossings can help limit the amount of damage roads do to the environments they pass through.
But wildlife crossings aren’t as simple as just building a bridge over the road. Though they’re often built a lot like highway bridges, engineers have to make sure the animals will actually use them. Practical Engineering took a look at the hidden engineering behind these structures.
“The reasons we’re willing to invest so much into wildlife crossings aren’t as obvious as you might think, and there are some really interesting technical challenges when you’re designing infrastructure for animals.“