California wildlife crossing moving forward

The Highway 101 project is considered the world’s largest wildlife crossing

California officials say what will be the world’s largest wildlife crossing is on track to be completed by early 2026.

The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing will help animals cross busy Highway 101 outside of Los Angeles. Gov. Gavin Newsom says construction crews are more than halfway through installing the beams that form the crossing.

“With projects like this, we’re reconnecting and restoring habitats so future generations can continue to enjoy California’s unmatched natural beauty,” Newsom said in a statement.

The crossing will connect protected lands in the Santa Monica Mountains and the Sierra Madre Range over Highway 101, considered one of the biggest barriers to wildlife connectivity in Southern California.

The state has provided $58.1 million for the effort. Private philanthropy has raised another $34 million.

Read more from Scripps News.

Header Image: The mountain lion known as P-22 appears in the hills above Los Angeles. Credit: Steve Winter