Public Meeting - Hwy 17 Wildlife and Regional Trail Crossings

Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District is working with Caltrans to develop wildlife and regional trail crossings across State Highway 17 near the Town of Los Gatos.

Join us at a public meeting to learn about the project and review the revised alternative locations and preliminary conceptual designs.

The Highway 17 Wildlife and Regional Trail Crossings were identified as a Top 25 Priority as part of the District’s Vision Plan. Measure AA, a $300 million bond approved by voters in 2014 will provide partial funding for the project.

Highways can be dangerous places for both people and wildlife. Hwy 17—from the southern border of the Town of Los Gatos to just south of the Bear Creek Road overcrossing—has been identified as a “road kill hot spot”. This area is dangerous to both animals and humans who try to navigate a busy stretch of narrow highway. As a result, over the last ten years, 132 animals have been killed in this section of Hwy 17, including mountain lions, deer, and other animals. Wildlife accessible culverts and bridges are needed to provide safe crossing for wildlife in an increasingly urbanized landscape.

Hwy 17 has fragmented thousands of acres of open space in the Santa Cruz Mountains, limiting the ability of wildlife to find food, mates and habitat, and blocking several regional trail connections. Well-placed and appropriately designed crossings will help alleviate wildlife/vehicular collisions, enable wide-ranging animals like mountain lions to disperse, and provide recreational opportunities. To accommodate large animals and a variety of recreational trail users, a large crossing structure is needed.

For information about the project visit http://www.openspace.org/Hwy17