Jumbo Ride: India’s First Elevated Wildlife Corridor to Make Delhi-Dehradun Drive a Visual Delight

Tourists headed to Dehradun and Mussoorie via road will soon be treated to breath-taking views from a 16-km elevated corridor that will allow unrestricted movement of animals underneath. The wildlife corridor is one of the main attractions of the Delhi-Saharanpur-Dehradun economic corridor, the foundation stone for which will be laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday.

The elevated corridor will connect Ganeshpur-Mohand in the Saharanpur district with Uttarakhand’s capital Dehradun. It will run along the 28-km stretch of National Highway 72A that sits between the Shivalik forest range known for abundant wildlife, including elephants. While the existing two-lane highway will be used to allow the free movement of animals, the elevated corridor is expected to cut journey time drastically.

One side of the forest houses the Rajaji Tiger Reserve. The two-lane NH 72A goes up to Dehradun, the gateway to Uttarakhand, and is known to keep busy year-round with trucks and buses choking up traffic at times. The 28-km stretch, including the 12-km chunk connecting Mohand and Data Kali temple, often becomes a nightmarish commute. The 40-minute travel stretches to 60 minutes or even 120 minutes during peak traffic. As per national highway authorities, there are a total of 120 horizontal curves on the hilly terrain that reduce vehicle speed to 25-30 km per hour.