Wildlife overpass on section of Highway 101 in the works
SAN BENITO COUNTY, CALIF. (KION-TV)- Highway 101 is one of the popular ways for drivers to go between San Benito and Monterey counties. It’s also a place where certain types of crash happen.
Executive Director of the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County Sarah Newkirk explains specifically where it happens.
“So, so many of our mountain lions were getting hit and killed by cars as they're traveling through a wildlife corridor from the Santa Cruz mountains to the Gabaldon Range right at the point on Highway 101, where our newest acquisition, Rocks Ranch, actually sits,” Newkirk said.
This is an issue for those animals that need more than just one area to survive.
“We need to do much more than just protect isolated islands of habitat for animals like mountain lions, because in order to maintain genetic resilience, that is their ability to withstand disease and other climate disruptions, they need to have a robust gene pool,” Newkirk said.
To find a way to compromise for both drivers and animals, Land Trust came to an agreement to acquire Rocks Ranch for $17 million. With the help of Cal Trans, Land Trust will develop an overpass for animals to cross on Highway 101.
Cal Trans Public Information Officer of District 5 Kevin Drabinski says these types of overpasses are becoming a popular trend in the state.
Read more: Construction begins on tunnel under Highway 17 to allow wildlife to safely cross
“Now there's kind of a growing demand for them,” Drabinski said. “We've had success on Highway 17 up at Laurel Curve with creating that under crossing this one and in Aromas and San Benito County is certainly an interesting one.”
The result of this overpass will raise safety for both drivers and wildlife.
“I think there's a popularity for it,” Drabinski said. “It's a win-win for safety of drivers and increased habitat migration for the animals.”
Newkirk agreed with Drabinski and explained how much they’ve been in contact with Cal Trans.
“We've been working really tightly with Cal Trans,” Newkirk said. “We know that the first step is to really protect the land on either side of the highway.”
The next step for Land Trust is applying for grants to help fund the engineering and environmental studies. The Land Trust of Santa Cruz hopes to break ground on the project by 2028.
