Thurgau to receive wildlife bridge over the A1
The canton of Thurgau is to receive a new wildlife bridge over the A1 motorway. The structure is intended to reconnect the fragmented habitats of wild animals.
The cantonal government has approved the project mandate «Construction project wildlife overpass A1 Wängi wildlife corridor TG12» including a 50-metre-wide green bridge.
With the construction of the A1 motorway section near Wängi in 1969, the southern part of Thurgau was ecologically severed from the rest of the canton. The migration routes of wild animals were largely interrupted. The populations of locally and regionally occurring species were separated. Due to the recent development of wildlife populations and the spread of certain wild mammal species — notably red deer, lynx and, in part, chamois — the need to address migration barriers has become even more pressing. In future, greater account must also be taken of the requirements of wide-ranging wild mammals.
The cantonal government therefore approved a preliminary project in May. Based on the findings of the preliminary project, the core measure will now be the construction of a 50-metre-wide wildlife overpass (green bridge), supplemented by functional measures to improve connectivity, all of which will feed into the «Construction project wildlife overpass A1 Wängi wildlife corridor TG12».
A contract for a construction project is to be awarded for the entire package of measures. In addition, the wildlife overpass project over the A1 is to be coordinated in terms of timing with the maintenance planning for the renovation of the A1. Total investment costs amount to between 7’944’000 and 8’394’000 francs depending on the materialisation variant. A portion of the funding is to come from the biodiversity fund.
