Final construction stage of wildlife crossing over 101 Freeway in Agoura Hills begins
AGOURA HILLS, Calif. (CNS) -- Wildlife officials are celebrating the second and final stage of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing in Agoura Hills.
Crews are preparing to build a secondary structure over Agoura Road that will add to the crossing's current span across 10 lanes of the 101 Freeway, according to the National Wildlife Federation's #SaveLACougars campaign.
Once finished, the overall crossing will be the largest bridge of its kind in the world, and a global model for urban wildlife conservation.
"Today, the state is beginning the final phase of construction for what will soon be the largest urban wildlife crossing in the world -- all thanks to the visionary work of state, federal, and private partners," Gov. Gavin Newsom said. "The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing will soon protect Los Angeles' native wildlife and over 300,000 drivers daily, as well as provide a cutting-edge model for urban wildlife conservation."
The project achieved a big milestone this year with the completion of the structure over the Freeway -- the result of more than 26 million pounds of concrete poured, the completion of vegetated sound walls, the placement of planting soils, the installation of natural stone habitat elements, and the unveiling of the crossing's name, now visible daily to more than 300,000 drivers who use the freeway.
Although the structure over the freeway is larger than the one being built over Agoura Road, officials said the final phase of construction is much more complex. It spans a smaller two-lane local road, but is as wide as the structure over the freeway and requires a more extensive foundation.
To connect the habitat areas north and south of the freeway and enable animal crossings, a large amount of earthwork is necessary. The landscape connects to the freeway and must reconstruct critical hydrology and restore habitat while protecting the existing creek watersheds and several large, heritage oak trees.
In addition, a series of important utility lines parallel to the freeway must be relocated -- a monumental, multi-agency effort.
"Every stage of construction of this vital crossing is another step toward the survival of the vibrant animal and plant life that form the remarkable ecosystem of this region," said Wallis Annenberg, chairman, president and CEO of the Annenberg Foundation. "The sophistication of the structure reflects the immense care and attention to detail that have brought us to this final phase. I am so proud to partner with and to champion the efforts and excellence of everyone involved."
The project's final stage follows the placement in April of 6,000 cubic yards of living soil on the crossing, in preparation for thousands of native plants being grown a few miles to the east at the project's native plant nursery. These elements will create a nearly one-acre wildlife habitat over the surface of the crossing.
Although originally projected for placement on the crossing this spring, supply chain issues and construction scheduling led to the planting effort being pushed to this fall to optimize success by avoiding the summer heat.
To support the fall planting and all future planting efforts, a dedicated and Indigenous-led nursery team has, over the last three-and-a-half years, hand-collected over 1.1 million hyper-local seeds representing over 50 distinct native plant species from distinct Santa Monica Mountain plant communities that have been grown in the native plant nursery.
The collection of seeds and work at the nursery is ongoing and also part of a future and broader ecological restoration that will revitalize acres of open space in the Santa Monica Mountains and require 50,000 native plant and tree species.
To prepare for planting in the fall, the #SaveLACougars campaign is releasing a series of educational videos about the project nursery across all of the P-22 Mountain Lion and Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing social media channels.
"This crossing is a story of hope -- a hope for a better future for wildlife. And a story of partnership and collaboration. Building a wildlife crossing over one of the largest and busiest freeways in the country, and in one of the most densely populated areas in the United States, came with immense challenges,'' said Beth Pratt, California regional executive director of the National Wildlife Federation and leader of the #SaveLACougars campaign.
"But because so many people -- the agency teams, elected officials, scientists, donors, artists, volunteers, the communities, and the public at large -- united around the important cause of protecting mountain lions and all wildlife in the Santa Monica Mountains, this visionary dream has become a reality.
"To see the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing enter its final phase and near completion, means we are closer to having that first mountain lion cross the bridge. I cannot wait to see that first photo of a cougar on the crossing -- what a moment that will be for us all," Pratt added.
Work on the crossing is scheduled to be complete in 2026.
