A new road bridge that's the biggest of its kind in the UK has started construction over the A417 in Gloucestershire as part of a massive £460million project - but it isn't designed to reduce traffic jams or keep pedestrians safe.

The 'Wildlife Bridge' over the dual carriageway is part of the National Highways 'Missing Link' project announced in 2024 in collaboration with Natural England.

The scheme aims to deliver four miles of a safer road with free-flowing traffic while 'conserving and enhancing the special character, natural beauty and wildlife of the Cotswolds National Landscape'.

Measuring 37 metres in length, the bridge will feature a 27-metre stretch of grassland and a hedgerow designed to protect bats and barn owls in the area.

The grassland and trees planted on the bridge are designed to encourage deer, badgers, and reptiles to cross, though there will also be room for ramblers, cyclists, and horse riders to use the bridge.

While some locals have praised the project, plenty of other have brandished it a waste of money.

In a Facebook post shared about the bridge's development, one commenter said: 'Canada have lots of these, and rather more wildlife in the areas. 

'One really questions the cost and real benefits on one bridge. As many say, all that money, and considering it will probably go over budget, would be much better spent on current road repairs. 

'No doubt yet another fluffy project to keep the green councillors on side.'

Another responded: 'Ten years from now, someone will point out that it was used by three field mice, two foxes and several (un-documented) wildebeest, during that entire time!'

Another added: 'l would this not be better spent on the roads... or NHS!'

Others took a more jovial route with their opinion, including one who said: 'At least the wildlife can use the potholes on the road below for their bath.'

The new A417 dual carriageway will link Gloucester and Cirencester, with the project due for completion next year.

Gavin Jones, the project director for the scheme on behalf of construction group Kier, said: 'The green bridge is the centrepiece of the scheme, linking up habitats and the landscape on one side of the road to the other.

'The focus is the ecology, the animals that are going to use it, but not forgetting the people - it's going to be a footpath as well. 

'We're on budget, ahead of programme, and [have] a good safety record. I couldn't be prouder of the team.'

Tens of thousands of crashes involving animals occur on UK roads annually, according to estimates.

The RSPCA believes that around 74,000 collisions are with deer. Conservative predictions are that 50,000 die as a result, while the incidents also cause up to 900 human injuries annually, and around 20 fatalities.

Leading insurer Zurich has suggests the average cost of a car insurance claim for hitting a wild animal is approximately £2,300 to £2,400. 

However, rising vehicle repair costs in recent years has pushed the average claim higher. The average bill to fix a motor after a deer collision rose to £4,317 in 2024.

In National Highways' latest update on its construction, it said earthworks carried out in 2024 have allowed it to lay the foundations of the three bridges - including the wildlife bridge - over the four-lane carriageway. 

It has also started 'piling works' at numerous areas, which constitutes using a specialist drilling rig to install foundations, posts and walls to help erect the crossing. 

Speaking about Missing Link, National Highways' executive director of major projects, Nicola Bell, said: 'Our work goes beyond just operating and maintaining our roads and by collaborating more closely with Natural England, we can ensure that our infrastructure projects deliver better outcomes for both people and nature.'

Natural England's chief executive, Marian Spain, added: 'Projects like the A417 showcase the positive outcomes for people and nature that can be achieved by working closely together.'

Wildlife bridges are already used across the globe

While the A417 construction will be the biggest wildlife bridge in the UK, it pales in comparison to the largest of all, which is located in Colorado, North America.

The Greenland overpass crossing Interstate 25 between Denver and Colorado Springs was completed towards the end of last year at a cost of $15million (approximately £11m).

The overpass is the largest bridge structure built specifically for wildlife, measuring 61 metres wide and almost 64 metres long.

And far more dangerous animals are using it compared to the one in the Cotswolds.

The crossing connects 39,000 acres of wildlife habitats used by elks, mule deer, black bears and mountain lions.

Around 100,000 vehicles use the stretch of highway per day, with the bridge designed to reduce animal-related crashes on the six-lane interstate.

In Canada's Banff National Park in Alberta, there are more than 20 green overpasses on busy highway stretches to help animals including bears, moose and wolves cross safely.

In New Zealand, an underground passage in Oamaru exists especially for penguins to get from the local harbour to their nests without encountering the traffic above.

And in Christmas Island, located close to Australia, bridges exist to help millions of crabs make it to their laying grounds every year without being flattened by cars along the way.

Singapore and the Netherlands also use 'Ecoducts' to allow animals to safely cross busy highways, and in Japan a railway company joined up with Suma Aqualife Park in Kobe to build a tunnel under the tracks to helps turtles cross.