World's biggest wildlife bridge in California is nearly finished three years later

The world’s biggest wildlife bridge in California – the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing, made to protect species like the mountain lion from busy man-made freeways – is nearing completion after just three years.

Wildlife, unfortunately, hasn’t escaped unharmed as we continue to spread out into nature for roads, housing, and other industrial means.

One of those areas is the Santa Monica Mountains in California. But work is now underway to reverse the damage caused to wildlife by the 10-lane Route 101.

Following the near-extinction of mountain lions, with the death of the famed lioness P-22, and other species known to Griffith Park, a ‘wildlife bridge’ is now nearing completion to allow animals to cross the terrain.

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While bridges are often used to avoid having to travel through nature, work began in Santa Monica, California, in 2022 to build an overpass for the animals to avoid us.

The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing was campaigned for by the National Wildlife Federation and the ‘#SaveLACougars campaign’ after the Ventura freeway had caused multiple big cat casualties.

According to the State, at least a dozen mountain lions and one black bear had been hit by cars as they tried to travel across the road in the last 20 years.

It was dubbed ‘the most significant barrier to the ecological health of the region’ by the National Park Service.

As a result, the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing has been under construction for three years to give these animals safe passage over the busy Los Angeles road.

The overpass is set to be 165 feet (50 m) wide and 200 feet (70m) long, rich with drought-tolerant vegetation that will encourage wildlife to use it while blocking out road noise and headlights.

After three years under development, the soil is now set to be laid down to allow the vegetation to grow, which will be the last pit stop before being opened.

After 26 million pounds of concrete, 6,000 cubic yards of ‘super soil’, and 5,000 native flora, the wildlife bridge is ‘essentially complete’, but will need a while longer to allow the plants to grow.

“We just put the soil on top, and then we start burying utility lines and extending it over the access road,” National Wildlife Federation (NWF) Executive Director Beth Pratt told KCAL.

One of the most famous examples of wildlife in the area was ‘P-22′, a lioness that was no stranger to Los Angeles’ Hollywood Boulevard, often appearing on the outskirts of the city.

However, after 10 years of flirting with the stars and being a darling of the National Reserves, she was sadly hit by a car in 2022 and had to be euthanized.

Heartbreakingly, the wildlife bridge would have been a haven for her and the rest of her pack, but this work will help prevent it from happening to more creatures in the future.

Given that we’ve done so much damage to the wildlife, it’s nice to see us finally giving back – just as this company is doing with our beloved pets.

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