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Forested Overpasses Allow Animals to Cross Safely Over Highways

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Re: Forested Overpasses Allow Animals to Cross Safely Over Highways

#21

Post by lsaferite »

_delirium wrote: post #13
jamespitts wrote: post #10

People in cities need something similar. It would be hugely beneficial to have a bustling business district lined up on the left and right side of urban freeway crossings.

Atlanta has started doing that by greatly widening bridges over the Downtown Connector, so they include parks. Example: https://www.google.com/maps/@33.7768753,-84.3909918,3a,75y,4...

I wonder if that's partly thinking forward to a possible street widening?

Re: Forested Overpasses Allow Animals to Cross Safely Over Highways

#23

Post by lsaferite »

zyxley wrote: post #14
jamespitts wrote: post #10

People in cities need something similar. It would be hugely beneficial to have a bustling business district lined up on the left and right side of urban freeway crossings.

This is the entire point of projects to put freeways in tunnels.

I run into this in Barcelona: https://goo.gl/maps/4fQfpa7CoPH2

Re: Forested Overpasses Allow Animals to Cross Safely Over Highways

#24

Post by Loic »

flxn wrote: post #22

In Germany "Grünbrücken", as they are called, are actually quite common. We have over 70 of them (as of June 2014).

It is part of the EU regulations to have them in Europe when you build or modernize highways. This is to prevent the isolated islands for animals (at the moment Belgium is the most fractured land in EU).

In France, I even spotted one for bats! http://france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr/rhone-alpes/2012/11/2...

Re: Forested Overpasses Allow Animals to Cross Safely Over Highways

#25

Post by toynbert »

lsaferite wrote: post #21
_delirium wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Atlanta has started doing that by greatly widening bridges over the Downtown Connector, so they include parks. Example: https://www.google.com/maps/@33.7768753,-84.3909918,3a,75y,4...

I wonder if that's partly thinking forward to a possible street widening?

This particular example basically connects Georgia Tech's campus across the highway, There was no plan on expanding the road. The lawns actually get a lot of use, students studying/lounging during the week and popular for tailgating on Saturdays.

Re: Forested Overpasses Allow Animals to Cross Safely Over Highways

#26

Post by comrh »

goda90 wrote: post #3

I'm curious how they are engineering these overpasses to not be slowly torn apart by tree roots, if they even consider that at all.

It isn't that bad of a problem. Green roofs are becoming very common. It is just about the depth of the soil, the selection of the correct plants and usually some type of plastic barrier.

Re: Forested Overpasses Allow Animals to Cross Safely Over Highways

#28

Post by davedx »

I took our kids to find one of these ("ecoducts" in the Netherlands) about a half hour drive from where we live. It was fantastic: no sign of humans anywhere except the speeding traffic under us on the motorway; just lots of animal footprints, and a single surveillance camera that I imagine is used to check out the furry users of the bridge rather than for any "security" related tasks.

The kids loved it :) They found it pretty spooky though.

It's very weird standing on what feels like a big hill with grass, sand and trees, knowing the motorway is rushing by under your feet.

Re: Forested Overpasses Allow Animals to Cross Safely Over Highways

#29

Post by themodelplumber »

mason240 wrote: post #27

What a colossal waste of resources.

What makes you say that? In the case of the I-90 project in the linked video, they addressed issues of risk and cost, as well as proof of use by animals, in the planning stage.
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