Quick Take
The Capitola Avenue bridge project is finally complete, and reopened for traffic Friday afternoon. It’s been closed since March 2024.
Teren de Cossy and her daughter, Cate, live just north of the Capitola Avenue bridge spanning Highway 1 between Soquel and Capitola, which had been closed for nearly two years. As they took their first walk across it Friday since the closure, they said they were thrilled. Teren de Cossy said she used it to walk into Capitola, to the grocery store and to other destinations.
“[The closure] really changed our lives. There are so many pretty walks down there,” she said, pointing in the southbound direction. “There are very few up here [to the north].”
The bridge opened up again Friday afternoon just before 2 p.m., much to the relief of nearby residents. It has been closed since March 2024, as part of the ongoing Highway 1 expansion project that includes adding lanes to give motorists more space to merge at exit and entrance ramps. The new lanes also serve as dedicated bus-on-shoulder lanes in some places, allowing buses to bypass traffic.
The Captiola Avenue overcrossing was demolished and rebuilt with new bike lanes and wider sidewalks. The metal fencing that lines the sidewalk bears metal cutouts of starfish and “Capitola” along both sides of the road.
On hand for the occasion, Sarah Christensen, executive director of the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commision, said people seemed happy about the project’s completion. One woman even came up to give Christensen a hug, she said.
“This neighborhood has been disrupted for a little while, so they’re very excited to see this,” she said.
“This new overcrossing represents a significant step forward in improving safety and mobility for residents of all ages and abilities to move through our community whether they are walking, biking, driving or taking transit,” Commissioner and District 2 County Supervisor Kim De Serpa said in a media release from the RTC. “It’s exactly the kind of multimodal infrastructure that supports a healthier, more connected Santa Cruz County.”
The RTC will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Feb. 26 at 4 p.m.
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