Plan ahead: Date set for Highway 101 closures in Agoura Hills for wildlife bridge work
Highway 101 near Agoura Hills will shut down overnight starting April 15 as crews lift dozens of heavy concrete beams in place to form the skeleton of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing.
The closure will happen in one direction at a time, starting with southbound lanes, according to the California Department of Transportation. The closure is expected to take roughly two to three weeks in one direction and then switch to the other side of the 10-lane freeway.
Plans call for lifting three to five of the reinforced concrete girders into place each night.
Construction started two years ago on the bridge over the freeway, a barrier for mountain lions, mule deer and other wildlife in Ventura and Los Angeles counties. Billed as one of the largest urban wildlife crossings, the 210-foot-long bridge may help save an isolated mountain lion population from extinction.
When will the 101 freeway close?
Starting April 15, the Monday to Friday closures of all southbound lanes are expected to run from shortly before midnight to 5 a.m. weekday mornings and to 6 a.m. Saturdays. Some lanes will begin closing as early as 7 p.m. Times and dates, however, are subject to change, the agency said.
A total of 82 girders, or 41 on each side, will stretch from the walls on either side of the freeway to middle support columns. Built in Riverside County, each one weighs from 125 to 140 tons, Caltrans officials said.
Northbound closures are scheduled to begin in May.
Where to detour around Highway 101 closures
During the closure, drivers can get from Ventura County to Los Angeles by taking Highway 101 to the 23 and 118 to the 405, Caltrans said. The route also works headed in the opposite direction.
Those who can't use other highways can detour from the 101 onto Agoura Road, the agency said. Officials estimate roughly 300 to 400 vehicles per hour could use the nighttime route.
The detour will run between Chesebro and Liberty Canyon exits.
How to get construction updates from Caltrans
So far during construction, officials lowered the speed limit and narrowed lanes to accommodate work on the short stretch of the 101 near Liberty Canyon. While lane and ramp closures have happened overnight, the freeway remained open in both directions.
A community meeting about the closures is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. Thursday in the community room at Agoura Hills City Hall, 30001 Ladyface Court.
For live webcams and more information about the crossing, go to 101wildlifecrossing.org.
Why build the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing?
The area near Liberty Canyon is one of few places left that has natural habitat on both sides of the 101. The land is also publicly owned and protected from development.
The National Park Service has found that mountain lions and other animals approach both sides of the freeway but few attempt to cross it. The agency has studied mountain lions in the area since 2002 to see how they're surviving in an increasingly urban area.
The small cougar population in the Santa Monicas Mountains is boxed in by development and highways, obstacles that have led to inbreeding, low genetic diversity and lions killing each other. Crossings can reduce collisions with wildlife but also add connections to other areas and reduce isolation, experts say.
Caltrans officials say they hope to complete the crossing, which is designed to look like natural habitat, as early as late 2025 but have cautioned that is only an estimate.
Cheri Carlson covers the environment and county government for the Ventura County Star. Reach her at cheri.carlson@vcstar.com or 805-437-0260.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Wildlife bridge construction to close Highway 101 lanes overnight
