The largest wildlife crossing of its kind is underway in California, and it’s finally starting to look like an overpass. The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing in Agoura Hills has been decades in the making, and crews broke ground on the structure in 2022. Last week, though, the first girder (horizontal support beam) went in, meaning for the first time, there’s something for people on the 101 freeway to drive under.
There will be 82 girders total, crossing 10 lanes of the 101 freeway—a process that will take up to 45 days. Nightly freeway closures will give crews time to work.
Agoura Hills is a city in the Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles County. The 101 freeway cuts off the Santa Monica Mountains from the rest of the region, isolating wildlife that don’t dare to cross the busy highway, and killing many animals that do attempt a crossing.
In particular, wildlife advocates say this 210-foot crossing will be instrumental in uniting two currently isolated populations of mountain lions. By providing an overpass, advocates say mountain lions on either side of the freeway will be able to intermingle like nature intended.
Other wildlife overpasses around the country have proved wildly successful, and wildlife cameras often capture animals not only safely crossing roads but also just going about their business. This is exactly the goal with the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing, which will wrap up by 2025 or early 2026.
For a detailed look at the construction project (filmed before the first girder went in), watch this update from the #SaveLACougars Campaign:
Would you support closures for cougars in your area, even if it meant taking a freeway detour?