Another California Bridge to Nowhere

This one almost makes sense. It certainly makes more sense than the High Speed Train to Nowhere™.  From The Other McCain: Gavin Newsom’s ‘Cougar Crossing’ Is the Perfect Symbol of Californication. (That's a maximum "almost.")

Behind schedule and over budget and probably doomed to failure — this is a succinct summary of what is officially known as the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing, but is now being sarcastically called the “California Cougar Crossing,” a monumental waste of California taxpayers’ money.

This is a wildlife bridge over the Ventura Freeway. The freeway isolated a group of mountain lions, and the isolated population is not doing well. Also several mountain lions have been killed attempting to leave the isolated pocket by crossing the freeway. It is 10 lanes of California driving, so, no surprise there.

Note that it is “nearing completion” and “almost ready,” which are euphemisms for overdue and running behind. The project was supposed to have been completed in 2024 and, having failed to meet their original deadline, the people in charge of it are now promising to finish by the end of this year, but if past performance is any predictor of future results, it won’t be done before 2028.

This thing has cost $114 million, which is cheap on the scale of California infrastructure projects. $77 million of that are taxpayer funds, the rest donations.

I read somewhere that people are worried because it will give the mountain lions access to suburban neighborhoods. What could possibly go wrong?

Wouldn't it have been much cheaper to capture and relocate the mountain lions in question?

Click thru for the typical California touches, like the “Indigenous team members,” the shamanistic rituals, and the ethnobotany, whatever that is.

And for some context/contrast, here is some info on a similar wildlife bridges.

Here is one that was constructed in Colorado for about 10 percent of what California is spending.

Colorado built this wildlife overpass last year for $15 million. It’ll pay for itself within five years from the avoided collisions.

California spending $114 million on a failed wildlife overpass is absurd. https://t.co/AmOr9LDpFW pic.twitter.com/K8vh9LTpoZ

— Benji Backer (@BenjiBacker) March 18, 2026

One in Washington State was even less.

The one in Washington was only $6.2M pic.twitter.com/Qs5hL4Zhee

— Andrew 🟦🟩 (@aknox92) March 18, 2026