NEW WALLIS ANNENBERG WILDLIFE CROSSING UPDATE (03.01.26)

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NEWS
In early February 2026 (announced around February 2-3 by Governor Gavin Newsom), California allocated the final $18 million (sometimes reported as nearly $19 million) to complete the project. This comes from the California Transportation Commission's Environmental Enhancement and Mitigation Program, providing the "final push" needed.

The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing is a large, vegetated overpass under construction in Agoura Hills, California, spanning the 101 Freeway at Liberty Canyon. Designed to reconnect fragmented habitats, it will be the world's largest wildlife crossing, measuring 210 feet long and 174 feet wide. The bridge aims to provide safe passage for mountain lions, coyotes, deer, and other wildlife between the Santa Monica Mountains and Simi Hills, reducing vehicle collisions and boosting genetic diversity. Construction began in April 2022 and is expected to be completed in 2026, with a cost of about $92 million, funded by private donations and public conservation funds.

Originally targeted for completion in 2025 after groundbreaking in 2022, the project faced a roughly one-year delay announced in 2024, pushing the expected opening to 2026. Recent news highlights a shift in the timeline to November 2026, with the project running behind schedule and over budget. Key reasons for the delay include severe weather and record rainfall/flooding in 2023 and 2024, which saturated the site and required redoing foundational work and soil compaction multiple times. Other factors, such as material costs (including tariffs mentioned in reports).

Project leaders and advocates emphasize this is not a new delay—the 2026 target has been consistent since 2024, and progress has been on track since then, with Phase 2 construction (over Agoura Road) underway, including ongoing road closures and shuttles for locals.

Organizations Associated with the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing: Annenberg Foundation, National Wildlife Federation (NWF), California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), National Park Service (NPS), Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy (SMMC), Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA), Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains, Living Habitats LLC, California State Coastal Conservancy, California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), California Wildlife Conservation Board, Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, Santa Monica Mountains Fund (SAMO Fund), Wildlife Crossing Fund.

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