Monday was momentous for the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing although it still looked like a bridge to nowhere from the 101 Freeway, where more than 300,000 vehicles stream endlessly every day. Nearly three years after the project began,

Officials said it will take several weeks and about 6,000 cubic yards of soil to build the foundation for the 1-acre wildlife habitat being created over 10 lanes of the 101 freeway in Agoura Hills. The project is designed to provide a safe crossing for mountain lions, deer, bobcats and other animals.

There was the idea that first simmered in the minds and hearts of nature champions around Southern California and beyond years ago, the breaking of the ground on Earth Day 2022, the "early adopter" seen flying over the under-construction pass in 2024, and the first public tour of the site.