India’s First Wildlife Expressway Corridor Opens

In a groundbreaking move that blends infrastructure with environmental conservation, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has completed the country’s first dedicated wildlife corridor along a national highway. The 12-kilometre stretch, part of the ambitious Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, cuts through the buffer zone of the Ranthambore Tiger Reserve and has been hailed as a pioneering model for future road projects across the country.

Engineered to facilitate both high-speed vehicular movement and undisturbed animal passage, the corridor includes five wildlife overpasses—each spanning 500 metres—and a 1.2-kilometre-long underpass, making it India’s longest wildlife crossing built into a highway. Strategically positioned between the Ranthambore and Chambal Valley regions—both known for their rich biodiversity—the corridor ensures safe movement for tigers, sloth bears, antelopes and several other species.

“This 12-kilometre stretch was one of the most challenging sections of the entire Delhi-Mumbai Expressway,” said Pradeep Attri, Regional Officer, NHAI. “We were working within a sensitive ecological zone that required utmost care and coordination. Preserving the natural habitat while executing a project of this scale was no small feat.”
The project was executed under the close supervision of the Wildlife Institute of India and the Ministry of Environment and Forests. Several nature-sensitive features were incorporated into the design to protect the local ecosystem. Apart from the overpasses and underpass—which follow the region’s natural terrain—approximately 5 kilometres of the expressway were built in elevated or sunken formats to avoid disturbing wildlife paths.

To prevent animals from inadvertently venturing onto the highway, a 4-meter-high boundary wall was constructed along both sides of the stretch. Additionally, 2-meter sound barriers were installed to muffle traffic noise that could distress animals. “It’s remarkable,” Attri said, “because standing above the corridor, you don’t even realize there’s a highway beneath—it’s entirely camouflaged for the sake of wildlife.”

Wildlife monitoring was a constant during construction. Workers were deployed at 200-meter intervals across the stretch to observe animal activity and ensure no harm came to the creatures passing through. As a result, not a single wildlife-related incident occurred during the project’s execution. Post-completion camera trap footage has already recorded tigers and bears using the overpasses and underpass, validating the corridor’s effectiveness.

In addition to its wildlife-focused features, the corridor embraces eco-friendly construction practices. Around 35,000 native trees were planted along the route, and rainwater harvesting systems were installed every 500 metres. Drip irrigation has also been employed to reduce water usage by nearly 50%. The use of modular formwork and low-waste construction techniques further minimised the project’s environmental footprint.

This first-of-its-kind corridor represents a paradigm shift in how infrastructure projects are envisioned in ecologically sensitive areas. Experts believe the initiative sets a new standard for harmonizing development with biodiversity conservation.

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