California imposes closures on major LA highway to build large wildlife crossing

California officials will on Monday close a section of the Los Angeles County’s 101 Freeway to build what is being called “the world’s largest wildlife crossing.”

The crossing is an effort to provide safe passage for wildlife – particularly mountain lions – from the Santa Monica Mountains into the Simi Hills of the Santa Susana mountain range, according to CNN News. 

The closures will last several weeks and will be limited to nights and weekends. 

Construction began in 2022 and is expected to completed by next year. 

The bridge face will be soil with native plants to blend in with the natural surroundings.

The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing is named for the president and CEO of the Annenberg Foundation, a family foundation that supports non-profits.

“We can coexist side by side with all kinds of wild instead of paving it over and choking it off,” Annenberg said at the groundbreaking ceremony. “It is about bringing more attention to an ingenious solution so urban wildlife and ecosystems like this one cannot only survive, but thrive.”