The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has released a document setting out how it plans for wildlife on national highways. It covers crossings, fencing, signage and speed regulation. Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari released it, titled Wildlife Mitigation Measures & Structures, at a Chintan Shivir in Ekta Nagar, Gujarat, during National Wildlife Week (2–8 October 2026).
The numbers behind the document
According to the document, more than 2,150 wildlife mitigation structures have been constructed or proposed along national highways across the country. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said more than ₹19,700 crore has gone into wildlife mitigation infrastructure and environmental safeguards in the last five years.
Most of that money went into structures that let animals pass the road or let the road pass over them. The reported spending includes ₹4,600 crore on animal underpasses, ₹650 crore on overpasses, ₹8,300 crore on viaducts and ₹2,800 crore on tunnels. A viaduct is an elevated stretch of road. Animals can move freely beneath it, so it works as a very wide crossing.
The document also lists measures that do not involve building a structure. Guide fencing and noise barriers have been installed along more than 300 kilometres of national highway alignments. The fencing steers animals towards designated crossing points. Other measures include camera trapping to track animal movement, identifying collision hotspots for targeted action, and speed regulation with signage to alert motorists.
An editorial in The Sentinel says the report sets out a framework for wildlife mitigation planning. The framework covers structural measures such as underpasses, overpasses, culverts and canopy crossings, and non-structural ones such as signage, fencing and speed regulation. The editorial argues that wildlife considerations should be built in not only when the Detailed Project Report is prepared but throughout the project period.
What it looks like on the ground
A recent NHAI project in Madhya Pradesh shows how these tools can work together. A 2.0 km ghat section of an 11.96 km project passes through the Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve. A 5 mm thick red thermoplastic layer has been laid across the carriageway in the danger zone. The colour alerts drivers that they are entering a speed-restricted, wildlife-sensitive corridor.
The same project uses 25 dedicated animal underpasses along the 11.96 km stretch. It also has continuous chain-link fencing on both sides, except in deep cutting sections, to keep animals off the carriageway and guide them to the underpasses. Cameras on minor bridges that double as crossing points help monitor wildlife movement.
What this means for India
National highways cut through tiger reserves, elephant corridors and forest belts, so road planning now has a direct bearing on wildlife survival. The document gives engineers, contractors and forest departments one reference for crossings, fencing and speed control. The Sentinel’s editorial notes that the Northeast is ecologically fragile, and says implementation gaps on the ground need review. The test will be whether these measures are built well, and whether camera and collision data show animals using the crossings.
What to watch next
The document reports spending and structures built or proposed. The sources reviewed do not give figures for fewer wildlife collisions. Public before-and-after data from monitored stretches, such as the camera-trap records the document mentions, would show how well the measures work.
Sources
- NHAI Invests ₹19,700 Crore in Wildlife Protection, Over 2,150 Mitigation Structures Planned or Built
- Rs 19,700 cr invested in wildlife mitigation infra and environmental safeguards in five years
- Mitigating environmental risks in highway projects in the NE
- Red Roads, Green Intent: NHAI is redefining highway safety while protecting wildlife and forest ecology (PIB)
