World's largest wildlife bridge finally gets opening date after costing £84.5million

Following numerous setbacks, the opening date for the world's largest wildlife bridge has at last been announced. Spiralling expenses and construction delays set the project back by a year.

Construction has been ongoing on the bridge for four and a half years. It has now been confirmed that the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing over the 101 Freeway in Agoura Hills, north of Los Angeles, will open on December 2. The project leaders revealed the news on Earth Day.

Managers said: "What a journey this has been! And we cannot wait to celebrate with you all."

The main section of the bridge, which stretches across 10 lanes of the freeway, has mostly been finished and landscaped. Outstanding work includes construction over Agoura Road and linking both ends of the bridge to the open space on either side.

It will ultimately allow wildlife to cross safely. California's regional director for the National Wildlife Federation, Beth Pratt, has already observed some wildlife making use of the bridge, reports the Mirror.

She told KNX News Radio: "I've recorded multiple species of butterflies up here. We've had, I think, eight species of birds.

"We've had red-tailed hawks and American kestrels fly by, so wildlife are already responding to it, even though it's not connected to the landscape."

The aim of the project is to help the mountain lion population in the region. A number of other animals frequently hit by vehicles on the freeway are also expected to benefit, including bears, bobcats, foxes, coyotes and deer.

The bridge has encountered numerous delays and drawn considerable criticism. In 2022, construction got under way with a price tag of $90million (£66.5million), with completion scheduled for 2025.

However, recent reports indicate the total has risen to $114million (£84.5million), funded through a combination of private donations and public money.

Project leaders have attributed the setbacks to near-record rainfall, which waterlogged the site throughout 2023 and 2024. Costs were further driven up by inflation, a shortage of workers and the sheer complexity of the work.

In a blog post, project leaders said: "The criticism often flattens a far more complicated reality. This is not a standard overpass. Engineers are effectively building a living ecosystem over 10 lanes of one of the busiest freeways in the country."

They added: "Projects of this scale should be questioned, audited and debated, especially when it's the public's money being used.

"But they should also be judged on their purpose. In a region where wildlife populations face genetic isolation and frequent freeway deaths, doing nothing carries its own cost.

"The real question is not whether the crossing is ambitious-it clearly is. It's whether Southern California is willing to invest in repairing the environmental missteps that made the project necessary in the first place."