Public vote opens for naming new wildlife crossings on A2 highway
Residents can now cast their vote to name four new wildlife crossings over the A2 highway in Limburg. These ecoducts will help animals cross safely as part of the road expansion project, with names reflecting the local region’s heritage.
| Key Data | Details |
|---|---|
| Number of wildlife crossings | 4 |
| Location | A2 highway between The Vonderen and Kerensheide (Echt-Susteren & Sittard-Geleen) |
| Voting period | Until April 12, 2026 |
| Voting method | Online via project website, one vote per email address |
| Name criteria | Neutral, region-related (historical, geographical, or ecological) |
| Municipalities involved | Echt-Susteren, Sittard-Geleen |
Rijkswaterstaat is responsible for the construction and maintenance of major Dutch highways, including infrastructure projects like wildlife crossings. Municipalities play a key role in naming public spaces, ensuring local relevance and compliance with regulations.
Read the full translated article below
Vote now on the names for the new A2 wildlife crossings
Published on: April 1, 2026, 3:37 p.m.
Rijkswaterstaat has received more than five hundred responses to the question of how the new wildlife crossings over the A2 should be named. We are, of course, extremely pleased with this. The time has now come for the public to make a final choice.
We are building four additional wildlife crossings over the A2. This is part of the road widening works between The Vonderen and Kerensheide. These ecological connections will be constructed in the coming years to allow animals to cross safely.
Preconditions
Viaducts, cycle bridges and ecoducts all have a name. For the new wildlife crossings to be built, we asked the public to come up with a suitable new name. The requirements for this were announced in advance. For example, a name may not refer to persons or companies. A name must be neutral and preferably relate to the region (historical, geographical or ecological).
Process
All submitted names have been sent to special committees of the municipalities Echt-Susteren and Sittard-Geleen. This is because the wildlife crossings will be located in these municipalities. And because in the Netherlands it is arranged this way that the municipalities officially deal with ‘naming in the public space’, they have made a first selection.
Per wildlife crossing, there are four names in the running to ultimately become the name that is placed on the crossing for the rest of time. The committees have checked whether the names meet the preconditions. They also looked at the reason given for why that particular name should be chosen.
Voting
Per wildlife crossing, you can vote for a favourite name. The crossings in Roosteren have been linked together. Because they lie very close to one another, we also want the names to relate to each other. Voting is possible until April 12, 2026 via the form on the project website A2 Vonderen - Kerensheide. Per e-mail address, you can vote only once.
Winner
Those who submitted the winning names will be personally approached by us. The results will, of course, appear on our project page.