California Construction News staff writer
The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing, California’s first overpass for wildlife across a major highway, has received $18.8 million from the California Transportation Commission’s Environmental Enhancement and Mitigation Program, providing the final push toward completion.
C. A. Rasmussen, Inc., a Valencia-based construction firm, is serving as the general contractor on the project. The firm, which has decades of experience in bridges and infrastructure, is responsible for the overpass construction, working alongside engineering partners including D.H. Charles Engineering, Inc. and a public-private coalition of more than 30 organizations focused on conservation and restoration.
The overpass will feature coastal sage scrub plant species native to the region and 50,000 additional native plants across 12 acres of restored open space. The project is part of a larger effort to integrate conservation with transportation infrastructure, allowing wildlife and people to coexist safely while protecting biodiversity in one of Southern California’s most important ecological zones.
