The first plants atop the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing were put in the soil Tuesday morning.
There will be approximately 5,000 native plants along the crossing when all is said and done. The foliage will serve as a much-needed environmental boost by providing wildlife with a safe path over the freeway while also minimizing interactions with humans.
The plants will also create a vibrant, nearly one-acre wildlife habitat that will blanket the entire surface of the main structure that spans over all 10 lanes of the 101 freeway. They originate from the area and were grown by the project’s native plant nursery team, which used more than a million seeds over a span of a few years.
Beth Pratt, the regional executive director for the National Wildlife Federation’s California Regional Center, explained to KTLA that putting the plants down in the soil is a “momentous occasion.”
And while most of the plants had yet to be planted early Tuesday, the landscape was already doing its job.
“We’re standing on top of the 101 Freeway, and you can hear how quiet it is,” Pratt said.
She also added that one of the more challenging aspects of construction — other than the construction of the crossing itself — still has to be completed.
“The next phase is actually more complicated…we had a five-agency utility relocation that we had to coordinate,” Pratt said. “That is really complex.”
The construction of the wildlife crossing was done in two phases; the first section, over the 101 Freeway, broke ground in 2022, while the second section over Agoura Road started this year.
The crossing was initially slated to be finished by this year; however, officials say that record precipitation and flooding events in back-to-back years had “a measurable impact” on the project’s schedule. Thus, it should be completed in 2026.
The project’s namesake, philanthropist Wallis Annenberg, passed away at the age of 86 earlier this year.
More information on the project can be found here.