Unhindered by critics who called the $114m project ‘a bridge to nowhere’, a gigantic throughway allowing animals to cross a busy freeway is close to completion.

Atop a gigantic wildlife bridge in California this week, butterflies filled the air. A red-tailed hawk sailed above as a slight breeze ruffled the 6,000 native plants, including poppies and purple sage. You’d never guess that below the quiet expanse of rocks and plants, a 10-lane freeway ferries 400,000 cars each day.

When the project broke ground four years ago, enthusiasm was high. The wildlife crossing in northern Los Angeles county would be the largest of its kind in the world, providing safe passage for mountain lions, bobcats and lizards.

But in recent weeks, the bridge has landed in the news for the wrong reasons. The Murdoch-owned California Post published an op-ed in March, penned by two writers from the conservative Manhattan Institute, that criticized the $114m project for going over budget, calling it a “jobs program for environmentalists” and a “multimillion-dollar bridge to nowhere”. Other conservative commentators piled on, from Fox News to Trump’s transportation secretary, Sean Duffy.

Beth Pratt, California regional executive director with the National Wildlife Federation and the public face of the crossing, said the backlash was swift. She began to receive messages painting her as a moron and a cat lady, and even threatening her physical safety. “The hate was really ugly,” she says. “We had to contact law enforcement.”

Despite the spate of rightwing hate, the wildlife crossing has found a finish line. The project will be officially “open for animal business” on 2 December, Pratt announced at an event for Earth Day this week.

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