Wildlife has begun using the underpasses on the Delhi–Dehradun Economic Corridor, with a new study documenting the first evidence of animals moving through the crossings on the highway inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 14 April.
The study by the National Highway Authority of India, in collaboration with the Wildlife Institute of India, tracked the corridor for 40 days with 150 high-tech camera traps and 29 AudioMoth acoustic recorders. It produced 111,234 images of humans, domestic animals and wildlife, including 40,444 images of 18 unique wild species using the underpass. Golden jackals were captured most often, followed closely by nilgai, sambar and spotted deer.
The research focused on an 18km stretch between Ganeshpur and Asharodi along the 20-km-long corridor, where 10.97km of animal underpass and a wildlife elevated corridor rising 6 to 7 meters were built through a forested Shivalik Himalayan landscape. That terrain includes flat riverbed, hilly sections and mixed Sal Forest, and it is home to endangered species such as tigers, elephants, greater hornbills and king cobras.
The results matter now because they show the corridor is not only carrying traffic through a sensitive habitat, but is also being used by wildlife in a way that could reduce conflict and lower the chance of population isolation in the Shivalik landscape. The study recorded 60 instances of elephants safely using the crossings, a notable sign for one of the most sensitive large mammals in the area.
The friction point is sound. The researchers said management of the soundscape is a primary factor in shaping wildlife movement beneath the corridor, with generalist species such as golden jackals and wild boar habituated to heavy traffic noise while elephants and spotted deer tended to use underpass segments with lower sound levels. The study said targeted noise barriers in high-crossing areas could improve passage for noise-sensitive species, offering a practical next step for a highway meant to serve both travel and conservation.
The findings turn the Delhi–Dehradun project into more than a road story. They provide evidence that national highway development can coexist with preservation in an ecologically sensitive forest belt, so long as the engineering is matched by measures that let animals keep moving.
