Seven new eco-ducts planned for Gelderland province

KOOTWIJK - The provincial authorities of Gelderland want to build seven so-called eco-ducts to ensure the preservation of wildlife in the Veluwe nature reserve. Eco-ducts are passages over thoroughfares for wildlife trekking from one part of the reserve to the next. Currently, there are three eco-ducts in the area, and all are used extensively, reducing carnage on the highways. The Veluwe is crisscrossed by a number of busy highways and other roads. On such eco-ducts, traffic is guided trough a tunnel, allowing wildlife a trail over the top, which is planted extensively with bushes, shrubs and other greenery to reduce noise and lights from the highway below. At a cost of $6 million each, the seven passages should be operational by the year 2012.