The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing being built outside Los Angeles will be completed by early 2026, providing a safe and sustainable passage for mountain lions and other animals over Highway 101.

Caltrans bid out the majority of the construction work and after a competitive process selected C. A. Rasmussen, Inc. to build the crossing.

Ahead of National Infrastructure Week, construction crews are now more than halfway through installing the beams that form the crossing – the largest in the world. The work is part of Governor Newsom’s infrastructure agenda to build more, faster. See more projects in your community at build.ca.gov.

Last month the first of 82 large concrete beams, each weighing between 126 and 140 tons went up over U.S. Highway 101 at Liberty Canyon Road in Agoura Hills. Click here to watch the installation video.

The project is being funded by a public-private partnership with more than $34 million raised in the community and $58.1 million in state funding.

U.S. Highway 101 is one of the biggest barriers to wildlife connectivity in Southern California and the new crossing will reconnect habitats and improve the health of the environment for many species in Southern California, including people.

A groundbreaking was held on Earth Day 2022, a public-private partnership of monumental scope that has leveraged the expertise and leadership of dozens of organizations and institutions to protect and restore wildlife habitats in Southern California.

Habitat connectivity provided by wildlife crossings is critical to the success of California’s 30×30 targets and allows people and nature to thrive together.

This article was originally written by CA Construction News staff writer and appeared here.