Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Runway in California, USA, is scheduled to open on December 2, 2026, more than 4 years after the groundbreaking ceremony. This is considered the world's largest wildlife runway.
The project is located in Agoura Hills, northwest of Los Angeles, across the 10-lane Route 101 highway. The project aims to reconnect the living environment that has been cut off for many years by this crowded highway.
When completed, animals that were once restricted on one side of the road will be able to move safely to the other side. The overpass is designed to lead animals across the road, thereby reducing the number of traffic accidents and the number of animals dying trying to cross highways. Common victims include bears, kittens, foxes, meadow wolves and deer.
Ms. Beth Pratt, California Regional Executive Director of the US National Wildlife Federation, said that the highway system has seriously damaged the ecosystem by dividing the living environment into "islands", threatening the risk of extinction for many animal species.
One of the main objectives of the project is to support the mountain lion population in Southern California, which is facing genetic diversity decline, territorial shrinkage and difficulty finding prey due to the impact of highways.
According to the Q&A section of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing project, without this overpass, mountain lions could disappear from the area within a human lifetime.
After completion, the project will create a natural connection between the Santa Monica Mountains and open spaces at Simi Hill, Santa Susana and Los Padres National Forest.
Mr. Seth Riley, head of wildlife at the Santa Monica Mountains National Park, said that researchers have been monitoring wild cats, meadow wolves and mountain lions in the same Liberty Canyon area for more than 25 years and clearly recorded the obstructive effects of the highway on movement as well as the gene flow of animals.
The project includes two main structures: an overpass across Highway 101 and a bridge across Agoura Road in the south. The project started in 2022 and was initially expected to be completed in 2025. However, arising costs and delays have caused the opening time to be postponed for more than a year, while increasing the total capital from 90 million USD to 114 million USD.
