A historic moment for the Annenberg Wildlife Crossing! Last night, the first girder of the project was placed over the 101 Freeway, creating the first horizontal section of the crossing. Moving forward, up to 82 additional concrete girders will be placed as well, with each beam weighing between 126 and 140 tons. As these critical horizontal supports are placed, the structure will truly begin to look like the bridge it will become, and ultimately reconnect long fractured global biodiversity hotspots in the region.
Back in 2016, Wallis Annenberg and the Annenberg Foundation made an initial $1 million challenge grant to spur the community and local leaders to donate to the development of this crossing. The project received donations from more than 3,000 private, philanthropic, and corporate institutions around the world. In 2021, Wallis Annenberg and the Annenberg Foundation accelerated donations with a record breaking $25 million challenge grant to the National Wildlife Federation. The funds raised were not only enough to fund construction, but moved up the construction timeline to April 22, 2022 – three years earlier than planned.
After years of tireless work from the National Wildlife Federation, Caltrans, and a host of other public and private partners, there is a special significance to the placement of this first girder. Learn more about this exciting construction milestone and the project →
