Quick Take
Segment 7, Phase 2 of the Coastal Rail Trail, on Santa Cruz's Westside, has run into a few delays this year, pushing its completion from a summer 2024 opening to a hopeful spring 2025 completion. Meanwhile, two more segments — 8 and 9 — continue to progress through the design phase.
A stretch of Santa Cruz’s Coastal Rail Trail has remained half-finished for four years, even as local governments push forward with a vision for a 32-mile pathway running from Davenport to Watsonville.
A 1.3-mile stretch of the biking and walking trail from Natural Bridges Drive to the intersection of California Street and Bay Avenue — known as Segment 7, Phase 1 — has been open for cyclists and pedestrians since December 2020.
However a 0.8-mile section of the trail stretching from California and Bay to the Beach Street/Pacific Avenue roundabout — the second phase of Segment 7 — has run into several weather-related setbacks, said City of Santa Cruz Public Works Director Nathan Nguyen. It was originally expected to be completed in summer 2023.
“There were heavy winter seasons in ‘23 and again in ‘24, which caused significant delays,” he said, adding that there were other delays in relocating utilities running beneath the project site. “That created a complicated project.”
There is good news, though, said Nguyen. Crews began paving the short section in early December, which he called a “major milestone.” They have paved the first third of the section, are currently working on the second third, and still need to do some concrete work before paving the final third. Paving and installing a wall alongside the trail will actually help protect the trail against future storms, said Nguyen.
“Even weather-permitting, just knowing that the site is much more winterized with a wall and paving in place means it can withstand some rain that it couldn’t do before,” he said. The site had no protection and storm drain systems in place during the 2023 and 2024 winters, allowing rain to drench the area and erode the cliffside. “We’re in a much better spot for this upcoming winter season.”
Two more stretches — Segments 8 and 9 — are also moving forward, but are further away from groundbreaking. Those two stretches will run from the roundabout in front of the Santa Cruz Wharf to 17th Avenue on the Eastside. In total, they make up 2.2 miles of Coastal Rail Trail.
Nguyen said the city got environmental clearance to start building Segments 8 and 9 this spring, and are shooting to have the majority of the design completed by spring or summer 2025. Given that, he said he’s hopeful the city can begin construction on the two segments by either the end of 2026 or the beginning of 2027.
Nguyen said that the city remains on track as it continues to work on ways to mitigate any potential environmental impacts of the project and acquiring land necessary for the project: “We’re still optimistic.”
Santa Cruz Metro delays final slate of schedule changes, continuing fall schedule
Santa Cruz Metro has made many changes to its service over the past year, as part of its three-year pilot project the agency has named “Reimagine Metro,” aiming to provide more direct, frequent service, better transfers and no additional fares with a goal of doubling ridership.
However, the final slate of adjustments will be delayed for the foreseeable future. The agency announced on Friday afternoon that it will continue with its fall schedule. That’s largely due to Metro’s aging bus fleet, which has been experiencing frequent breakdowns and maintenance issues, making it difficult for the agency to keep up with the increased service.
“We underestimated the strain this would place on our fleet and, consequently, on your commutes,” Metro CEO Corey Aldridge wrote in a letter to riders. “Despite our best efforts to keep our buses operational, these unexpected issues have forced us to strategically cancel trips in order to minimize disruptions as much as possible.”
Aldridge said that Route 16 — running from downtown to UC Santa Cruz via Laurel Street and Bay Street — will be suspended to “better allocate resources for high-demand areas on the UCSC campus.” He added that Route 90X, which runs between Santa Cruz and Watsonville, has also been suspended due to low ridership along that route.
The final slate of changes were expected to go into effect Saturday. Check for any changes in your route here.
Latest news
Check out our Carmageddon road delay list here. This week, pay particular attention to:
- The on-ramp to southbound Highway 1 from Bay Avenue in Capitola has been closed since late September to allow construction crews to build a new ramp. Drivers can take a detour north on Porter Street to Soquel Drive, then east to Park Avenue, where they can rejoin Highway 1. They may also head south on Bay Avenue to Park Avenue, and rejoin southbound Highway 1 there. Caltrans expects the ramp to reopen Dec. 29, a month later than the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission’s earlier estimate.
- A stretch of Highway 1 north of Santa Cruz will be closed between Coast Road and Bonny Doon Road on Monday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday from 9 a.m. to noon, and Thursday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will be alternating one-way traffic at this section.
- Paving and striping on Highway 9 between El Solyo Heights Drive in Felton and California Drive in Ben Lomond wrapped up on Friday, ending major traffic impacts at this location.
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