California Built Wildlife Bridge Then Animals Showed Up Immediately

California built a bridge just for wildlife, and the animals wasted no time putting it to use. Three mule deer became the first creatures to cross the newly completed overpass on Highway 97 in Siskiyou County in Northern California even before crews had finished the final details, and a bobcat arrived to use the crossing shortly after. Caltrans officials celebrated both appearances as a major milestone, noting it was wonderful to see wildlife already embracing the structure, especially since this stretch of road had recorded over 50 deer and 16 elk fatalities in just a five-year span. The overpass runs about 100 feet long and 140 feet wide, flanked by nearly two miles of eight-foot exclusion fencing along both sides of the highway designed to funnel animals safely toward the bridge and away from passing vehicles.

A wildlife tunnel is also under construction about a mile down the same road to give animals additional protected crossing options, and Caltrans says more crossings in the surrounding region are already in early planning discussions as interest and funding continue to grow. Both projects are part of a larger statewide push to restore the wildlife corridors that decades of highway construction have cut apart, and California has been investing heavily in making that vision a reality. A separate crossing nearing completion over the 101 Freeway near Agoura Hills is expected to become the largest wildlife overpass of its kind anywhere in the world once it opens, a powerful symbol of how seriously this state takes the lives of its wild neighbors. From the mountain roads of Siskiyou County all the way down to the hillsides above Los Angeles, California is steadily building a future where wildlife can move through the landscape the way nature always intended.

Source:https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2026/06/10/deer-wildlife-bridge-california/5521781123084/