Construction of wildlife crossing in Agoura Hills to partially close 101 Freeway
Caltrans will close half of the 101 Freeway starting next week in order to continue construction of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing near Agoura Hills.
All lanes in one direction will be closed at a time, starting Monday with the southbound lanes, according to the California Department of Transportation. The lanes will be closed each night for five hours starting at 11:59 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The bridge will be the largest wildlife crossing of its kind and is aimed at saving a threatened population of mountain lions. Experts estimate that more than 500 mountain lions have been killed on California highways over the last eight years, a rate that scientists suggest may exceed the reproductive rate of the animals.
The mountain lion P-22, who lived in the heart of Los Angeles for a decade and became the face of an international campaign to save California’s threatened puma population, was euthanized because of injuries and long-term health concerns, officials said.
The lanes are expected to be closed for about two to three weeks in one direction before switching over to the lanes on the other direction, Caltrans said. The closures are expected to last a total of 30 to 45 days from the starting date.
Crews will be installing steel girders — long boxes of reinforced concrete — over the freeway in order to build the vegetated bridge, according to Caltrans.
The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing has a projected cost of $92 million, half of it raised from donors.
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