Thousands of snakes are getting the right of way on a small Illinois road, where seasonal closures help protect migrating wildlife from passing vehicles.
Here's what to know
Forest Service Road 345, also known as LaRue Road or "Snake Road," closes to vehicle traffic twice a year: March 15–May 15 and September 1–October 30, Jalopnik reported.
For the animals returning to the limestone bluffs from LaRue Swamp in fall, the road stands between them and their destination. They cross it in the other direction in spring, when they leave the bluffs for the swamp.
Shawnee National Forest covers 289,000 acres in the area bounded by the Ohio and Mississippi rivers and supports approximately 35 snake species that migrate, along with 23 migratory amphibian species, according to Jalopnik.
More background
The migrating snakes include at least three venomous species: timber rattlesnakes, cottonmouths, and eastern copperheads.
Cottonmouths are also known as water moccasins, while eastern copperheads can average three feet in length, Jalopnik noted.
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Although vehicles are prohibited during the closures, visitors can still walk along the road to watch the animals cross.
Residents initially resisted the road closures, which last four months each year, but eventually accepted the restrictions.
What's being done?
The restrictions treat migrating wildlife as something to safeguard, not as a threat to visitors.
"That protects animals from being incidentally killed by vehicles running over them," Forest Service Enforcement Officer Anderson Harris told CBS Evening News.
People walking along Snake Road should still watch their footing, and collecting snakes as they cross is illegal.
"It's the only road in the U.S., to my knowledge, that we close for migrations of the amphibians and reptiles," Harris added.
Where can I learn more?
These stories highlight snake encounters in urban environments and underscore the importance of projects that give wildlife space and protection.
• In Sri Lanka, a driver braked for a snake on an expressway, triggering a three-vehicle crash.
• Villagers in India say snakes vanished from roads, while Kashmir rescuers report more encounters.
• New Jersey police freed a three-foot ball python wedged in a car grille.
• In Belarus, a grass snake rode a car hood through traffic, drawing nearly 2 million TikTok views.
• In Wisconsin, endangered Western ribbon snakes put a highway project on hold.
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