Quick Take
Crews plan to demolish the overpass between Capitola and Soquel and construct one that adds bike lanes and wider sidewalks. The bridge isn’t set to reopen until the summer or fall of 2025. School officials say they'll give a bit of leeway as they adjust to detours and new routes.
Mid-County commuters will have to get used to being patient: Starting at 9 a.m. Monday, crews will begin the process of tearing down and rebuilding the Highway 1 overcrossing at Capitola Avenue, work that will keep the bridge between Soquel and Capitola shut down for more than a year.
The construction is part of the ongoing Highway 1 expansion project, which includes adding new lanes that give motorists more space to merge at exit and entrance ramps and also serve as dedicated bus-on-shoulder lanes in some places, allowing buses to bypass traffic. The expansion project also includes adding new bicycle and pedestrian overcrossings.
One such overcrossing at Chanticleer Avenue is already well on its way to completion. But the Capitola Avenue overpass remake is just getting started. Crews plan to demolish the bridge and construct one that adds bike lanes and wider sidewalks. The overpass isn’t set to reopen until the summer or fall of 2025.
The main detours during the 14 months of construction will be Bay Avenue/Porter Street and Park Avenue.
In order to demolish the overcrossing, crews will also have to completely shut down the stretch of Highway 1 between the Bay Avenue/Porter Street and Park Avenue exits starting at 7 p.m. Saturday, March 23, and running through 7 p.m. on March 24.
Soquel Drive will serve as the main detour for that 24-hour highway closure. Travelers can reenter Highway 1 at the Park Avenue and Bay/Porter exits. The closure is weather-dependent, and the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission will provide an update ahead of March 23.
The extended closure of the Capitola Avenue overcrossing could prove to be a pain for locals, given that it is a significant route for Capitola and Soquel residents, commuters and students at Soquel High School, New Brighton Middle School and others in the Soquel Union Elementary School District.
SUESD Superintendent Scott Turnbull said the district is communicating with families about possible delays. While officials aren’t recommending any specific detour, they have made sure that families know of the closure and advised them to make a little extra time to get to and from school. Turnbull said schools will be a bit more lenient in enforcing tardies to begin the adjustment period.
Soquel High School Assistant Principal Jose Quevedo said the high school is similarly planning to keep families up to date on the work.
“We know it’s going to be a long period of time, so we’ll be continuously following up with families,” he said.
Turnbull added that he can empathize with district families who might be facing delays because of the roadwork: “As a parent of a student at Soquel High, I’m right in the mix of it!”
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Check out our Carmageddon road delay list here. Pay particular attention to:
From Saturday, March 23, at 7 p.m. through Sunday, March 24, at 7 p.m., travelers will encounter a full closure of Highway 1 between Bay Avenue/Porter Street and Park Avenue. Demolition crews will use this 24-hour closure to safely demolish the Capitola Avenue overcrossing and haul materials away.
The Pure Water Soquel water purification project continues to move forward, and its current work will affect parts of Laurel Street in Santa Cruz. The installation of an architectural cover for the piping along the Laurel Street bridge will continue this week between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m., shutting down one lane of eastbound Laurel Street.
Drainage work will shut down the southbound Highway 1 onramp at Soquel Drive between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. from Tuesday through Thursday.
On Wednesday, drivers will hit overnight staggered lane closures on Highway 1 and a full closure of Soquel Avenue. Soquel Avenue will be closed from Chanticleer Avenue to 17th Avenue from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. and one southbound lane of Highway 1 will be closed from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. There will be a full closure of southbound Highway 1 from Soquel Drive to 41st Avenue from 11:30 p.m. to 2 a.m., a closure of one northbound Highway 1 lane from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m., and a full closure of northbound Highway 1 from 41st Avenue to Soquel Drive between 12:30 a.m. to 4:30 a.m.
Electrical work along northbound Highway 17 in Scotts Valley will shut down the offramp at northbound Granite Creek Road on Thursday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
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