France is building overpasses to reduce roadkill

from Paris to the Mediterranean on the this summer may be surprised by the proliferation of bridge-building over France’s main north-south artery. The intended beneficiaries are more unexpected still: hedgehogs, badgers, wild boar, weasels, deer and other furry, spiky or slimy things. Between 2021 and 2023, 19 new , or wildlife bridges, will be built over the 6 and other motorways operated by , a private firm, at a total cost of over €80m ($86m). This will bring its network of green bridges in France to 119. Designed to reduce roadkill and help animals roam more freely, wildlife bridges have become popular from Canada to Australia. In France they have a long history. built its first, near Fontainebleau, in 1960. Early versions were rudimentary. Today’s models, such as the one under construction to connect forests near Chagny, in Burgundy, are deluxe: 25 metres wide, complete with a pond for frogs and other amphibians, opaque wooden-fenced sides to shield the passing critters from the glare of headlights, and carefully laid piles of rocks and branches and landscaped vegetation. Pedestrians are banned.