Wildlife bridges can shift risk to neighborhoods

Large, expensive wildlife‑crossing projects can be poorly sited or executed so that instead of expanding contiguous habitat they funnel animals toward backyards, schools, or landfills. That combination of bad siting, lax site security, and big budgets raises safety, cost‑effectiveness, and permitting questions that local communities and state governments will have to confront. — If conservation infrastructure displaces rather than reduces human‑wildlife conflict, it changes how policymakers should evaluate environmental spending, permitting standards, and community consultation.