A Wonderful Bridge in Wales Has Puzzled Drivers for 13 Years: Why Was It Built?.

According to ТСН: For 13 years, drivers passing through North Wales have been puzzled by the unusual structure located above the A470 road. This bridge, resembling a badminton net, is stretched over a 7.3-meter section of road between the towns of Dolgellau and Cross Foxes, and it had no apparent purpose other than to attract attention.

It was recently revealed that this structure was part of a project to upgrade the A470 that started in 2012 and cost £7.3 million. The project was implemented by the construction company Alun Griffiths.

A local resident from Barmouth, intrigued by this strange bridge, turned to social media in search of an explanation. It turned out that the bridge was created to protect bats.

A Bridge for Bats: How It Works

The structure is designed to compensate for the loss of oak groves in Meirionnydd and encourages bats to fly at greater heights, reducing the risk of collisions with vehicles. Bats orient themselves using echolocation and typically move along hedgerows and forest patches. Due to the destruction of some trees during road construction, the animals became disoriented, and the bridge became a way to restore their safe routes.

The cost of building such a bridge was estimated at over £27,000 for each flying mammal. After the project was implemented, the A470 became the first road in Wales to meet the requirements of the EU Directive on the protection of bat habitats.

Additional Measures

The project also included:

• Drainage pipes under the road for voles;

• Cuts and ramps for species;

• Protective steps for birches, where rare species reside;

• Translocation of rare lichens.

Problems and Failures

Despite efforts, the bridge turned out to be rather ineffective: bats continued to fly at dangerous heights over the road. Research from the universities of Leeds and Cambridge showed that the animals ignore this structure and stick to their usual routes. Local residents also remained puzzled, as they could not observe bats near the road. Meanwhile, the oak forests of Meirionnydd are a unique conservation area home to large horseshoe bats and six other species of bats.

According to expert estimates, a total of 15 bat bridges have been built in the UK at a cost of over £2 million, but the effectiveness of most of them is questionable.

Other Examples

• A bridge on the A487 near Caernarfon (2010).

• The first bat bridge in Wales on the A497 between Pwllheli and Criccieth (2006).

• Two bridges on the A465 near Abergavenny (2007).

Despite their limited effectiveness, these structures remain an important part of the UK's efforts to protect wildlife and comply with European legislation on the protection of species' habitats.