These ants turn themselves into a bridge.

Army ants link their bodies across a gap so the colony can keep moving. In a field observation, at least 7 ants bridged a 5.3 mm gap; the bridge stayed in place while traffic was high and came apart as traffic fell. 1

In controlled PNAS experiments, bridges lengthened and shifted toward a straighter route, but stopped short: saved walking distance had to be weighed against workers stuck in the bridge. 2

For the observed Old World species, the authors caution that the bridge may repair a broken trail rather than prove a deliberate shortcut choice.

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