Liberty Canyon wildlife crossing

The Liberty Canyon wildlife crossing is a proposed vegetated overpass spanning the Ventura Freeway and Agoura Road in Agoura Hills, California. When built, it will be one of the largest urban wildlife crossing in the United States, connecting the Simi Hills and the Santa Monica Mountains over a busy freeway with ten traffic lanes (including exit lanes).
Background.
The crossing is intended to primarily benefit the mountain lion population indigenous to the Santa Monica Mountains, which has declined due to the Ventura Freeway acting as a barrier in the wildlife corridor between the Simi Hills to the north and the Santa Monica Mountains to the south. This has caused the Santa Monica Mountains mountain lion population to become genetically isolated. The National Park Service has recorded a dozen mountain lions struck and killed by motorists in area since 2002.
Scientists identified Liberty Canyon as the best location for a wildlife crossing because the lands north and south of the freeway are publicly owned and protected.
Design.
In 2015, the Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains published a 165-foot-wide and 200-foot-long overpass design for the wildlife crossing.
The environmental process and draft environmental document was released to the public in 2017.
Funding.
The project had stalled for years due to lack of funding. In 2014, the California Wildlife Conservation Board gave a $650,000 grant to the Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains for the design of the crossing. In 2015, the California Coastal Commission gave a $1 million grant to Caltrans for environmental assessment. The National Wildlife Federation and the Santa Monica Mountains Fund are raising funds for the construction phase of the project. Private donors have also contributed. Construction is expected to begin in November 2021. In May 2021, the Annenberg Foundation offered a $25M challenge grant for the project, with $35M needed to unlock the grant.