California wildlife overpass opens with $10 ticket for spectators

After years of planning and construction, the $114 million Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing will be officially opened on Dec. 2 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at King Gillette Ranch in Calabasas. The 210-foot-long, 174-foot-wide concrete bridge, capable of supporting four feet of soil and thousands of native plants, provides a safe passage for mountain lions and other wildlife over the heavily trafficked 101 Freeway.

Attendance costs $10 for adults and $5 for children, with tickets now available. The event is presented by the National Wildlife Federation’s #SaveLACougars campaign and the Wildlife Crossing Fund, and will include tributes to P-22, the iconic cougar whose freeway crossings inspired the effort. Beth Pratt, President and CEO of the Wildlife Crossing Fund, said the ceremony marks both a culmination and a new beginning for ongoing habitat restoration and research. The project, originally budgeted at $92 million and slated for 2025, has risen to $114 million and caused temporary road closures during construction.