Israel Advances First Major Highway 6 Wildlife Overpass to Protect Endangered Gazelles
Israel's Nature and Parks Authority is advancing an 80-meter wildlife overpass above Highway 6 to reconnect fragmented gazelle populations in the northern Negev.
Israel's Nature and Parks Authority is advancing the construction of a dedicated wildlife overpass above Highway 6 in the northern Negev to protect endangered gazelle populations. The National Planning and Building Council approved the continued promotion of the initiative this week.
Structure and Strategic Location
The planned overpass will span approximately 80 meters in length and 50 meters in width, located near the Lahav Interchange and the Pura Nature Reserve. It will seamlessly connect with another approved ecological crossing spanning the planned adjacent railway line, creating a continuous green corridor linking the open areas of the southern Judean Hills, Lachish, the Shephelah hills, and the Shikma stream.
Landscape architect Shai Harnoy designed the structure following comprehensive predictive modeling conducted by the authority to map gazelle habitats and movement patterns. Dr. Yariv Malihi, Central District Ecologist at the Nature and Parks Authority, emphasized that habitat fragmentation severely threatens the endangered Israeli gazelle.
«The new crossing is designed to restore connectivity between populations and enable safe movement for gazelles and other wildlife,» Malihi stated.
Mitigating Infrastructure Barriers
While smaller animals like jackals, foxes, badgers, and porcupines successfully utilize underpasses such as the Pura, Shikma, and Adorayim bridges, gazelles generally avoid subterranean structures. Consequently, major arteries like Highway 6, Highway 40, and the railway have created an impenetrable barrier dividing eastern Lachish gazelle populations from those in the Shikma stream region.
Mira Avneri, Central District Planner at the authority, noted that highways represent both a lethal collision hazard and a reproductive barrier isolating animal groups. Environmental officials stress that the project demonstrates how national infrastructure can be developed alongside ecological preservation.
