Plans Released For Liberty Canyon Wildlife Crossing

AGOURA HILS, CA — Plans have been released for the 101 Freeway wildlife crossing, which is projected to break ground next year. The Liberty Canyon Wildlife Overpass Crossing, which will traverse the 101 Freeway at Liberty Canyon Road between Calabasas and Agoura Hills, will allow endangered mountain lions to safely cross the busy freeway, and expand their habitat.

The 165-foot-wide crossing will stretch 10 feet over 10 lanes of the freeway, and will be one of the largest structures of its kind in the world. The crossing will be covered in nearly an acre of native vegetation, including native oak and willow trees, shrubs and mushrooms to provide wildlife with food, shelter, and water.

Living Habitats, a Chicago-based landscape architecture firm, is planning to plant seeds, acorns, and mushrooms on-site so that native vegetation can grow naturally from the soil, according to the National Wildlife Foundation.

The crossing is a public-private partnership involving Caltrans, the National Park Service, the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains, and the National Wildlife Federation.

The project is reported to cost $88.8 million. At an Aug. 26 meeting, the Wildlife Conservation Board, a state agency that funds environmental initiatives, approved a $5 million gift to the National Wildlife Federation for the crossing.