Fury as major freeway ramp closed in aid of $114M wildlife crossing

Headache for commuters, as the world’s most expensive wildlife bridge is forcing the daytime closure of a major freeway ramp in Southern California this week.

As construction for the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing nears its final stages, the city of Calabasas announced the temporary closure of the northbound 101 on-ramp on Liberty Canyon from Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

“Detour: continue south on Liberty Canyon Road, head west on Agoura Road, then travel north on Chesebro Road/Palo Comado Canyon Road to access the northbound U.S. 101 on-ramp,” the city said on Friday.

“Agoura Road will remain open to through traffic, though intermittent closures and minor delays may occur as work progresses,” it continued.

The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing is a bridge that is meant to “restore ecosystems that had been fractured and disrupted” and to reconnect wildlife cut off by roads.

While the bridge is seen as an incredible conservation effort, the project was originally supposed to cost $92 million and finish by 2025. It is also costing taxpayers nearly $77 million as well.

The National Wildlife Federation launched the #SaveLACougars campaign in 2014 to raise awareness for wildlife crossings after being inspired by P-22, a famous Hollywood mountain lion.

P-22 died in 2024 but became famous after somehow safely crossing both the 405 and 101 freeways to reach Griffith Park from the Santa Monica Mountains in 2012.

His death and story helped bring private donations to help with the bridge’s constructions.

The massive 210-feet long and 174-feet wide bridge is made up of 26 million pounds of concrete and supports up to four feet of soil and thousands of native plants.

However, the bridge’s hefty price tag leaves critics confused since other similar wildlife crossings in other states and countries cost a fraction of the $114 million price.

For an estimated tens of millions of dollars less than California’s single bridge, Canada’s Banff National Park built an entire network of six overpasses and 38 underpasses.

The Parleys Canyon wildlife overpass in Utah also only costed a mere $5 million to finish while the Snoqualmie Pass in Washington came in at $6.2 million.