It’s an idea to help wildlife in Ventura and Los Angeles Counties that’s been talked about for years. Now, there’s word on a project to build the world’s largest wildlife crossing over Highway 101 in the Conejo Valley will start in April.
The plan started from efforts to prevent the deaths of mountain lions. The big cats living in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation have been dying at an alarming rate, hit by vehicles as they try to cross highways to reach different parts of their native habitat.
It sparked a plan to build a wildlife crossing over Highway 101, near Liberty Canyon in the Agoura Hills area.
The roughly $90 million project would cross ten lanes of freeway, which carry about 300,000 vehicles a day.
The National Wildlife Federation spearheaded the fundraising effort. Now, officials have announced that they will break ground on the 200 foot-long, 165 foot-wide crossing April 22, which is Earth Day.
The crossing will be covered with soil and plants. It will create a natural looking bridge for mountain lions, deer, and other wildlife to safely cross between the Santa Monica Mountains and the Simi Hills.
