Bat tunnel built under new dual carriageway

A tunnel has been built beneath a new dual carriageway to provide a safe route for bats and other local wildlife.

The 45m-long (148ft) crossing runs under the new 10-mile (16km) A421 road, between Black Cat roundabout, in Chawston on the outskirts of Bedford, and Caxton Gibbet roundabout, in Caxton, near Cambridge.

National Highways said ecological surveys helped it to understand how wildlife used the area, including identifying bat flight paths.

It said the tunnel gave wild animals a safe crossing between their habitats separated by the new road.

National Highways said the 4.5m-high (15ft) underpass would help bats - along with other mammals - "safely navigate" the route.

The passage has been built alongside new hedgerows, trees and shrubs and specially designed fencing to help guide bats and other wildlife towards the crossing.

National Highways said the tunnel was not "separately costed" as it had been incorporated as part of the overall £1bn project and was the standard design used for all major road schemes.

The aim of the road project is to reduce congestion and speed up journeys between Milton Keynes and Cambridge, with about 80,000 drivers using the Black Cat roundabout each weekday.

The road is due to open next spring.

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