Construction of the “largest wildlife crossing in the world” passed a significant milestone in April placing the first girders over an 8-lane freeway near Los Angeles to preserve the local mountain lion population.

After years of tireless work, erecting the first horizontal section of the 210-foot-long crossing was an historic moment for the National Wildlife Federation, the Caltrans highway department, and many private and public partners.

“We all cheered when the crane lowered the first concrete beam across the freeway, as we truly saw the bridge starting to take shape,” said an excited Beth Pratt, the California Executive Director of National Wildlife Federation.

“This structure is a testament to us all wanting a future for wildlife and mountain lions in the Santa Monica Mountains.”

Moving forward, up to 82 additional concrete girders will be placed, with each beam weighing between 126 and 140 tons. As these critical horizontal supports are placed, the structure will ultimately reconnect two long fractured global biodiversity hotspots in the Southern California region—providing safe passage for not only the cougars, but bobcats, deer, lizards, and coyotes, as they move between the Santa Monica Mountains and the Simi Hills of the Santa Susana mountain range.

The bridge will not only keep animals safe, it will reduce human-wildlife traffic accidents—as every year in the U.S. more than a million wildlife-vehicle collisions result in 200 deaths and 26,000 injuries to drivers and passengers.

Named the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing, project leaders began eight years ago raising the funds needed for the $92 million bridge.

They received donations from more than 3,000 private, philanthropic, and corporate institutions around the world. Then, in 2021, Wallis Annenberg and his foundation donated a $25 million challenge grant.

LOOK: ‘It’s working!’ From Bobcats to Bears, Utah’s First Wildlife Bridge is a Hit–And There’s Video to Prove it

For drivers on the 101 Freeway in Agoura Hills, the construction is interrupting traffic from 11:00 PM to 4:00 AM on one side of the highway each week (Northbound or Southbound). The FAQs can be found here.

CBS news estimates about 1,500 of these wildlife passages have been built both over and under major highways and rural roads across America.

Watch CBS’s recent feature that highlights crossings over America’s longest highway, US 90, which runs across the northern states, and how a new US grant program is paving the way for more crossings…

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