California Department of Transportation, along with Valencia-based C.A. Rasmussen, continues to make progress on the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing. The next major operation that will affect local traffic is the installation of steel girders. Overnight closures of the 101 between Palo Comado and Liberty Canyon will detour traffic to Agoura Road April 15 thru April 26- possibly longer, schedule subject to change due to weather and operational reasons.

Beginning on Monday, April 15, ALL LANES WILL BE CLOSED on Southbound Highway 101 starting at 11:00 p.m. (NEW TIME!)  on Monday through Friday nights.  All lanes will reopen by 4 a.m. daily except Saturdays.

– You’re invited to a virtual meeting about these closures and detours on Monday, April 15, from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. You can access the meeting in these ways:

1. Join link: https://tinyurl.com/US101Meeting
2. Join by phone at 1-408-418-9388. Access code: 249 882 34807

 CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES

 Night work is scheduled for April 15 – 19 and April 22 – 26.
Daytime work may take place on any day.
The schedule is subject to change due to weather or operational reasons.

Freeway Detour FAQ:

CLOSURES AND DETOURS
Starting April 15, Caltrans will close all southbound lanes on Highway 101 at night to place girders over the freeway.

– Some lanes will begin closing as early as 7 or 8 p.m. (a partial freeway closure).

– A full freeway closure (all southbound lanes) will begin by 11 p.m. Monday through Friday for approximately two to three weeks.

– Lanes will reopen by 4 a.m. each morning except Saturdays when lanes may open later.

– Times and dates are subject to change.

– On nights when all southbound lanes are closed, northbound lanes will remain open for traffic.

–  Nightly closures of all lanes on northbound 101 are scheduled to start in a few weeks; on those nights, southbound lanes will remain open for traffic.

–  Detours will be provided.

–  A local street detour will be provided on Agoura Road between Liberty Canyon Road and Chesebro Road, as follows:

1. When southbound 101 is closed, cars will exit at Chesebro Road and travel east on Agoura Road to Liberty Canyon Road where they will return to the freeway.

2. When northbound 101 is closed, cars will exit at Liberty Canyon Road and travel west on Agoura Road to Chesebro Road where they will return to the freeway.

– To avoid delays on the local street detour and avoid a traffic backup on the freeway, motorists are strongly encouraged to use an all-freeway detour via State Route 23, State Route 118 and I-405.

–  These full closures and detours are expected to continue for approximately three to four weeks in the southbound direction, and three to four weeks in the northbound direction.

– While crews place girders above northbound lanes, the northbound 101 Liberty Canyon on-ramp may be closed continuously for approximately four weeks for use as a staging area for large construction trucks.

Daytime ramp closures will occur intermittently Mondays through Fridays:

–  The Southbound 101 Liberty Canyon Off-Ramp and the Northbound 101 Liberty Canyon On-Ramp may be closed intermittently between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. The schedule is subject to change due to weather or operational reasons. See construction progress on live webcams at https://101wildlifecrossing.org/.

To sign up for a free guided tour of this project, please go to https://t.co/xmiIEETIMj.

What is happening?

Caltrans will close half of the 101 Freeway–all of the lanes in one direction – each night for five hours starting at 11:00 p.m. Monday through Friday for construction of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing. The schedule is subject to change due to weather or operational reasons.

How long will this last?

Likely 30-45 days from the starting date.

Why is this needed?

These closures are for the safety of the public while crews place girders over the freeway to construct the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing, a vegetated bridge across Highway 101 to reconnect wildlife habitat. It will be the largest wildlife crossing of its kind. This crossing will help save a threatened population of mountain lions from extinction and ensure a future for all wildlife in the Santa Monica Mountains.

What are the girders for?

Why does the freeway need to close to place them? The 82 girders will span the freeway, reaching from the center median to either of the bridge walls along both sides of the freeway. Girders are long boxes of reinforced concrete. On top of the girders, Caltrans will construct a deck which will be the top of the concrete bridge structure. To avoid lengthy closures of the freeway, the girders were manufactured off-site in Riverside County. Large trucks will carry the girders to the construction site. Each girder over the northbound lanes is 103 feet long and weighs 140 tons. Each girder over the southbound lanes is more than 93 feet long and weighs over 126 tons. The weight of one girder is equivalent to more than 14 African elephants!

When do you anticipate the wildlife crossing will be finished?

Based on the proposed schedule, Caltrans anticipates the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing will be finished by late 2025 or early 2026.

Where can I find more information?

Caltrans posts updates about scheduled closures on X (formerly Twitter) at twitter.com/CaltransDist7. To receive free weekly emails from Caltrans giving updates on closures and construction activities, send your email address to michael.comeaux@dot.ca.gov or call (213) 897-9372.

Information about the project is available at these websites:

https://dot.ca.gov/caltrans-near-me/district-7/district-7-projects/d7-101-annenberg-wildlife-crossing.

https://101wildlifecrossing.org.