Caltrans grant aims to scale up wildlife corridor blueprint

Caltrans awarded a $700,000 planning grant to help expand the approach used at the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing into a broader, region-wide strategy for reconnecting fragmented habitats. The funding is part of a $23.6 million package for 58 planning projects statewide, supported by Senate Bill 1 and state and federal highway and transit funds, and is intended to move local initiatives closer to construction by supporting planning and conceptual design.

The Wallis Annenberg crossing over U.S. 101 in Agoura Hills is more than 60% finished and has an official opening date of Dec. 2. The project’s cost grew to $114 million after pandemic-era inflation and construction delays from historic winter storms. Its main freeway span is complete, and work continues to build an extension over Agoura Road and bring in millions of cubic feet of soil to establish native plant habitat on the bridge.

The Southern California Association of Governments will use the grant for a Regional Wildlife Connectivity Study covering a six-county transportation region (Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura). Partnering with the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority, SCAG plans to produce data tools, maps and guidelines so vegetated overpasses, underpasses and directional fencing become routine elements of highway projects. Officials say the effort is meant to improve species movement, reduce public-safety risks, support natural carbon sequestration and help local agencies compete for federal environmental grants to stitch together a more resilient ecological network.

This is a plain-language summary written for The Block. Read the original article for full details.