The Mojave Desert Land Trust, backed by a $5.5‑million grant from the California Wildlife Conservation Board, announced plans to build two wildlife crossings on State Route 62 near Joshua Tree National Park in late April 2026.
State Route 62 has long split the Mojave’s largest protected areas—Joshua Tree to the east and the Sand to Snow National Monument to the west—making it harder for species such as bighorn sheep, deer, black bears and mountain lions to cross, a problem highlighted by the fatal collision of an 18‑month‑old cougar on Yucca Grade in April.
The project’s initial funding also includes a $512,000 grant from the Coachella Valley Mountains Conservancy, following the cougar incident, and a $5.5 million state grant that will pay for technical studies and engineering work needed to draft the crossing designs and secure environmental permits.
Researchers have already begun collecting genetic data from scat samples and deploying detection dogs to map animal movements, with a five‑year study running through December 2029 that will assess how the crossings influence genetic exchange and road‑kill rates.
Design work is expected to reach 65% completion by the end of 2026, after which the land trust will seek additional funding for construction, with the aim of breaking ground in 2027 and ultimately reducing wildlife‑vehicle collisions along the corridor.