The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing (WAWC) in Agoura Hills, California, has become a costly, unfinished project with a reported price tag of $114 million, according to the City Journal. Originally projected to cost $92 million, including contributions from private philanthropists, the overpass was intended to provide a safe passage for wildlife across US-101 and reduce animal fatalities. The project has gone $21 million over budget and remains incomplete, despite officials estimating a 2025 completion date.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) pledged in 2022 that the project would be finished with an additional $10 million, but costs have continued to rise, with roughly $77 million coming from state funds. The project has been criticized as effectively serving as a jobs program for environmentalists while burdening taxpayers.

The overpass is part of a broader pattern of financial scrutiny in California. Reports have highlighted billions in mismanaged or fraud-related funds, including $7 billion in Small Business Administration fraud, nearly $1 billion taken from a solar program allegedly tied to political causes, and $650,000 missing from a state literacy program.

WAWC’s stated purpose is to allow wildlife movement and genetic exchange between fragmented habitats in the Santa Monica Mountains. Yet years of delays and escalating costs have drawn criticism from watchdogs concerned about government waste and accountability.