A section of Agoura Road will begin an extended series of daytime closures Wednesday as crews perform bridge work and backfill operations on the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing in Agoura Hills.
Agoura Road between Rondell Street and Hydepark Drive will be closed from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays through Nov. 30, according to Caltrans.
An additional closure is scheduled from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday to accommodate construction work.
Motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians will not be permitted through the closure area during work hours.
Motorists will be detoured onto the Ventura (101) Freeway between Chesebro Road and Liberty Canyon Road, with signs posted along the detour route.
The northbound and southbound 101 on- and off-ramps at Liberty Canyon Road may also be periodically closed for construction, but Caltrans said the ramps and Agoura Road will not be closed at the same time.
Free shuttle service will be provided for pedestrians and bicyclists every 30 minutes from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on closure days.
Eastbound shuttle passengers can be picked up at Dorothy Drive and Chesebro Road and dropped off at Liberty Canyon Road and Agoura Road. Westbound passengers can board at Liberty Canyon Road and Agoura Road and will be dropped off at Dorothy Drive and Chesebro Road.
Bus stops within the closure area will also be temporarily relocated.
The crossing spans the Ventura (101) Freeway and will be the largest wildlife crossing of its kind in the world, according to officials.
The project is intended to reconnect wildlife habitat fragmented by the freeway, allowing mountain lions and other animals to move between areas of the Santa Monica Mountains.
The crossing is the result of decades of wildlife research, planning and engineering and a collaboration involving the National Wildlife Federation, Caltrans, the National Park Service and the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, organizers said.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for Dec. 2, when a public celebration will also be held at King Gillette Ranch in Calabasas.
Can’t wait for this to finish and the cam action. It’s been talked about for decades and now it’s here. I actually lived long enough to see it happen. Living with wildlife and not killing them.