A Growing Problem on New Brunswick Highways
Moose and deer wandering onto New Brunswick's highways have long been a serious hazard for drivers. A collision with a full grown moose, which can weigh well over 500 kilograms, is often deadly given how high the animal's body sits relative to a car's windshield. Deer strikes are more common but still cause significant damage and injury every year.
To address the problem, the province continues to install wildlife crossing tunnels, underpasses built beneath highways specifically so large animals can move between habitats without ever stepping onto the road.
How the Tunnels Work
The idea is straightforward: give animals a safe, direct route under busy stretches of highway instead of forcing them to cross traffic. Fencing typically funnels wildlife toward the tunnel entrances, guiding moose, deer and other animals through rather than over the road. It is a low tech solution, but one that transportation planners across North America have increasingly relied on where animal crossings are frequent and collision data shows clear hot spots.
New Brunswick has been building out this kind of infrastructure for years, and the continued installation of new tunnels suggests the province sees measurable value in the approach, both for driver safety and for reducing harm to wildlife populations.
Why It Matters for Drivers
Vehicle collisions with large animals are not just a rural nuisance. They can total vehicles, cause serious injury, and in the worst cases prove fatal for drivers and passengers. Insurance claims tied to animal strikes are common across Atlantic Canada and much of the country, particularly in areas where highways cut through forested or rural terrain.
By giving moose and deer a way to avoid the road altogether, wildlife crossings aim to reduce the frequency of these encounters at the source, rather than relying solely on driver awareness, reduced speed zones or roadside signage.
A Canada Wide Concern
While this project is specific to New Brunswick, animal vehicle collisions are a challenge shared by highway systems across the country, from Ontario's rural routes to the Trans Canada Highway through the Rockies. Provinces have experimented with different mitigation strategies, including fencing, reflective signage and speed reduction zones, but dedicated wildlife crossings like New Brunswick's tunnels are considered among the more effective long term solutions where budgets allow for the infrastructure investment.
As more of these projects come online, other provinces may look to New Brunswick's experience as a model for reducing similar risks on their own highways.
Source: CBC News
