The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing, described by officials as the largest wildlife bridge in the world, has opened over a 10-lane freeway in northern Los Angeles County. According to Beth Pratt, California regional executive director of the National Wildlife Federation, the bridge spans a highway that carries 400,000 cars daily and will officially open for animal use on December 2.
The project cost $114 million, according to multiple reports. It went over budget, as noted by Manhattan Institute writers in a California Post op-ed. The project initially had a completion date of 2025, but after breaking ground in 2022, record rains and flooding caused a delay to 2026, Pratt said. The National Highway Construction Cost Index increased 67% since 2021, according to the Federal Highway Administration. In spring 2025, inflation caused costs to increase overnight, Pratt said. These cost overruns and delays have drawn criticism from some conservative commentators.
Conservative commentators, including Fox News and Trump's transportation secretary Sean Duffy, criticized the project. Manhattan Institute writers in a California Post op-ed called it a 'jobs program for environmentalists' and a 'multimillion-dollar bridge to nowhere'. According to The Guardian, Beth Pratt described the hate as really ugly and said she had to contact law enforcement after receiving threatening messages. She also said she welcomes hard questions but that critics ignored the facts and printed misinformation. The project remains a significant conservation effort aimed at reducing wildlife-vehicle collisions and connecting habitats.