Emu paths to allow birds to bypass road

Australian road officials have proposed building emu underpasses beneath the East Coast Pacific Highway so a population of the endangered birds can safely cross one of the country’s busiest and most dangerous roads.

Between 20 and 40 people have died on the Pacific Highway each year over the last decade, prompting authorities to spend hundreds of millions of dollars upgrading the highway to get rid of accident black spots.

But Birdlife Australia said the suggested new route of the highway would bisect emu foraging and breeding areas and endanger the lives of the emus in Clarence Valley.

Special pathways to “provide safe passage under bridges” are to be considered as part of an environmental impact statement.