California's $92 million wildlife crossing project underway in Agoura Hills
The soil, to cover nearly an acre of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing, will make it easier for wildlife to move through its habitat, according to a news release from Gov. Gavin Newsom's office.
"As soil gets placed over the bridge, we're one step closer to reconnecting wildlife with habitat that's been divided for generations," Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement. "We're not only making habitats whole again, we're making our roads safer."
The bridge will span 10 lanes of Highway 101 in the city.
Approximately 6,000 cubic yards of soil placement is needed for the project and is expected to take several weeks to complete, according to the governor's release.
Here's what to know about California's wildlife crossings.
Wildlife crossings are essential to building a network of interconnected conserved lands and waters that protect and restore biodiversity while also supporting transportation infrastructure, according to the release.
The soil is part of restoring an ecological corridor to support local wildlife, according to the release. Mountain lions, deer, bats, bobcats, desert cottontails, monarch butterflies and more are expected to use the bridge.
Planting of approximately 5,000 native plants will start in May, weather permitting. The bridge will feature coastal sage scrub plant species native to the Santa Monica Mountains.
The plant species will contribute to an overall environmental restoration strategy that includes 12 acres of open space and 50,000 native plants, according to the release.
"By building the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing, Caltrans is supporting transportation infrastructure that will not only reconnect and restore habitats but also reduce vehicle collisions with wildlife and enhance highway safety,' said Tony Tavares, Caltrans director, in a statement.
The length of the bridge over Highway 101 is about 210 feet, according to a Caltrans news release. The width is about 174 feet.
The northbound Highway 101 on-ramp at Liberty Canyon Road is expected to be shut down through late April, the California Department of Transportation announced
Caltrans expects work on the first phase, which includes the bridge over the freeway, to finish next year. Construction began in mid-2022, according to Caltrans.
A second phase of construction, which includes extending the crossing over Agoura Road, is scheduled to wrap up in 2026, officials said.
The project's total programmed costs are approximately $92 million, according to Caltrans.
Major funding for the crossing is provided by the Annenberg Foundation, other private donations, and the California Wildlife Conservation Board.
Find more information at 101wildlifecrossing.org or sign up for a weekly update by emailing D7inquiries@dot.ca.gov or calling 213-897-1200.
Reporter Cheri Carlson contributed to this report.
Wes Woods II covers West County for the Ventura County Star. Reach him at wesley.woodsii@vcstar.com, 805-437-0262 or @JournoWes.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Soil placed on Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing in California
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
28-07-2025
- Yahoo
Wallis Annenberg, billionaire philanthropist who backed arts, science and other causes, dies at 86
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Wallis Annenberg, the billionaire philanthropist who supported the arts, science, education and animal welfare causes over decades in Los Angeles, died Monday, her family said. She was 86. Annenberg died at home from complications related to lung cancer, the family said in a statement to the Los Angeles Times. 'Wallis transitioned peacefully and comfortable this morning to her new adventure,' the statement said. 'Cancer may have beaten her body but it never got her spirit. We will hold her and her wisdom in our hearts forever.' Her name adorns institutions across the Los Angeles area, including the Wallis Annenberg Building at the California Science Center, the Wallis Annenberg GenSpace senior center and the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing, the world's largest bridge for animals on the move, will open next year over an LA freeway. During her 16-year tenure as president and chief executive of the Annenberg Foundation, the nonprofit organization has donated about $1.5 billion to thousands of organizations in Southern California, the Times reported. Under Wallis Annenberg's leadership, the foundation expanded its philanthropic scope beyond media, arts and education to include animal welfare, environmental conservation and healthcare. Her father, Walter Annenberg, started the foundation after selling his publishing empire, including TV Guide and other publications, in 1989 to Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. Walter Annenberg died in 2002. Wallis Annenberg was a longtime board member of LA's Museum of Contemporary Art and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, or LACMA. In 2002, she gave $10 million to endow LACMA's director position. 'Wallis Annenberg blessed the Los Angeles community not only with her philanthropy, but also with her guidance about how to improve our community,' said LACMA Chief Executive Michael Govan, who filled that endowed position in 2006. Born in Philadelphia, she moved to Los Angeles in the early 1970s after marrying neurosurgeon Seth Weingarten. The couple divorced in 1975. Wallis Annenberg received the 2022 National Humanities Medal from President Joe Biden for her life in philanthropy. She is survived by four children and five grandchildren. The Associated Press Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Associated Press
28-07-2025
- Associated Press
Wallis Annenberg, billionaire philanthropist who backed arts, science and other causes, dies at 86
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Wallis Annenberg, the billionaire philanthropist who supported the arts, science, education and animal welfare causes over decades in Los Angeles, died Monday, her family said. She was 86. Annenberg died at home from complications related to lung cancer, the family said in a statement to the Los Angeles Times. 'Wallis transitioned peacefully and comfortable this morning to her new adventure,' the statement said. 'Cancer may have beaten her body but it never got her spirit. We will hold her and her wisdom in our hearts forever.' Her name adorns institutions across the Los Angeles area, including the Wallis Annenberg Building at the California Science Center, the Wallis Annenberg GenSpace senior center and the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing, the world's largest bridge for animals on the move, will open next year over an LA freeway. During her 16-year tenure as president and chief executive of the Annenberg Foundation, the nonprofit organization has donated about $1.5 billion to thousands of organizations in Southern California, the Times reported. Under Wallis Annenberg's leadership, the foundation expanded its philanthropic scope beyond media, arts and education to include animal welfare, environmental conservation and healthcare. Her father, Walter Annenberg, started the foundation after selling his publishing empire, including TV Guide and other publications, in 1989 to Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. Walter Annenberg died in 2002. Wallis Annenberg was a longtime board member of LA's Museum of Contemporary Art and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, or LACMA. In 2002, she gave $10 million to endow LACMA's director position. 'Wallis Annenberg blessed the Los Angeles community not only with her philanthropy, but also with her guidance about how to improve our community,' said LACMA Chief Executive Michael Govan, who filled that endowed position in 2006. Born in Philadelphia, she moved to Los Angeles in the early 1970s after marrying neurosurgeon Seth Weingarten. The couple divorced in 1975. Wallis Annenberg received the 2022 National Humanities Medal from President Joe Biden for her life in philanthropy. She is survived by four children and five grandchildren.
Yahoo
28-07-2025
- Yahoo
California philanthropist Wallis Annenberg dies at 86
This is a developing story and will be updated. Longtime Southern California philanthropist Wallis Annenberg — whose family name graces everything from a performing arts center in Beverly Hills to a wildlife crossing in Agoura Hills— died Monday at her Los Angeles home from complications of lung cancer, the Los Angeles Time reported. She was 86. The Annenberg name is ubiquitous in the Los Angeles area, including the Annenberg Community Beach House in Santa Monica, the Wallis Annenberg GenSpace in Koreatown, the Wallis Annenberg Building at the California Science Center in Exposition Park, the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills, the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism and the upcoming Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing in Agoura Hills. She was heir to her father Walter Annenberg's publishing empire, which included TV Guide. After he died in 2002, Wallis Annenberg took over as president and CEO of the Annenberg Foundation, which he founded in 1989 after selling TV Guide and assets to Rupert Murdoch. The nonprofit has assets of about $1.2 billion, according to the Times, She broadened the foundation's philanthropic emphasis on media, arts and education to include animal welfare, environmental conservation and healthcare. During her 16 years at the helm of the foundation, it gave away an estimated $1.5 billion to thousands of Los Angeles County based organizations and nonprofits, the Times reported. "Wallis Annenberg blessed the Los Angeles community not only with her philanthropy, but also with her guidance about how to improve our community" LACMA Chief Executive Michael Govan, told the Times. "From public access to our beautiful beaches to the livelihood of local animals, and the importance of the arts to our daily lives." For the wildlife crossing, Annenberg and the Annenberg Foundation gave $25 million. The state and other donors also helped to fund the bridge, which is expected to be around 210 feet long and 174 feet wide and is designed to look like natural habitat, landscaped with native plants. At the April 2022 groundbreaking, she said wildlife crossings make a profound difference, giving animals a chance to roam without risking their lives. "You might say that when we break ground here at Liberty Canyon we're also shattering the old ways of doing business, the old approaches that simply ignored the fragile ecosystem beneath our feet," she said. She was born Wallis Huberta Annenberg in Philadelphia and grew up in Washington, D.C. She is survived by four children and five grandchildren. Gavin Newsom, Karen Bass react to Wallis Annenberg's death Two California leaders are paying tribute to the Southern California philanthropist. Gov. Gavin Newsom described Annenberg as a remarkable woman, saying the state is "better for all that she did." "Wallis Annenberg was a visionary who believed not just in a better world, but in a kinder one," Newsom said in a statement. "She worked on broader societal issues, including funding medical research, economic development, and environmental protection, but she deeply believed in supporting the American right to the pursuit of happiness. "She was always determined to find new ways to help people achieve a better, more joyful quality of life, and above all else, to help people connect with each other." The California governor added that Annenberg believed in community and recognized that it was people who made the difference and that money only went so far. Meanwhile, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said in statement that Los Angeles is "stronger because of her." "This is a loss that resonates beyond words here in Los Angeles," Bass said. "Wallis Annenberg's selfless leadership and visionary spirit transformed our city in profound and lasting ways. "There are unhoused Angelenos sleeping inside because of her. There are young people throughout the city expanding their horizons and exposure to the arts and sciences in new and exciting ways because of her. There are institutions, museums as well as public spaces like beaches and parks that are enhanced and improved because of her." The Ventura County Star and Desert Sun reporter Paris Barraza contributed to this report. This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Wallis Annenberg dies at 86, known for generosity across Southern California Solve the daily Crossword
