Quick Take:
The Capitola City Council will begin to study the viability of the Stockton Avenue Bridge that links Capitola Village and the surrounding areas. Evaluation of the structure showed deterioration of the bridge deck and reinforcing steel, and found that a full deck replacement is needed, but a full bridge replacement is the best long-term solution.
The Capitola City Council voted for city staff to come up with a proposed contract evaluating options for the Stockton Avenue bridge, which connects Capitola Village to the surrounding coastal areas. Any project is still years away, and likely would be expensive and lengthy.
The motion, presented by Councilmember Susan Westman, requests staff to come back with a proposed contract “as soon as possible” that includes preliminary plans for multiple bridge replacement options that consider cost, possible grant opportunities, expected timelines, environmental constraints, and permitting requirements, as well as plans for bridge retrofitting or bridge deck replacement.
Westman’s motion also included requests for a “realistic plan” for using the Capitola trestle for a pedestrian and bicycle route during any work to lessen traffic impacts. Councilmember Gerry Jensen added an amendment to ask for a long-term plan for project development and implementation, and a traffic flow plan.
The Stockton Avenue Bridge is 93 years old, and while there is no immediate safety concern, a 2024 analysis by San Francisco-based civil engineering firm CSW Consultants showed widespread deterioration and erosion, and recommended a bridge replacement. San Jose-based structural engineering firm Biggs Cardosa Associates completed a structural evaluation of the bridge in March 2025. Thomas Swayze, a principal engineer with the firm, said that the bridge is well into its useful lifespan.
“We normally expect a piece of infrastructure like this to last about 75 years. 75 to 100 if it’s a good day, and this is 93 years old,” he said.
Swayze also said that the bridge was “scour critical,” which means the speed and volume of water flowing beneath the bridge can erode the sand around the piles, causing instability. He also said he considered the bridge “seismically deficient,” but a study to officially determine that has not yet been conducted.
Swayze added that many steps are required before any kind of replacement process, including environmental and hydraulic studies, historical evaluations and community meetings. He also said that the approval process for a replacement project would likely take two to three years, and a funding process with Caltrans would follow.
Public commenters were concerned with the potential cost of replacing the historic structure, although some also recognized that replacement would eventually be necessary. Others urged the council not to rush into project plans without fully understanding the impacts during construction as well as the long-term ramifications on the city’s budget.
Westman’s motion passed by a 4-1 vote, with Councilmember Melinda Orbach dissenting. She offered a substitute motion that would have allocated a mix of both city and grant funds totaling $500,000 to move into the next phase of design, including a detailed study about environmental and hydraulic impacts, construction timeframes and traffic studies. The motion did not receive a second.
Orbach said she’s concerned about waiting too long to address the problems on the bridge. Even though any replacement would not happen for five or more years, she said, the council should be proactive so the city can be prepared in the case of an emergency, like an earthquake or wave damage from storms. She pointed to how quickly the city was able to reconstruct the Capitola Wharf when it partially collapsed during the 2023 storms. City public works director Jessica Kahn said that was because the project to expand the wharf and perform damage repairs was fully permitted and funded, which took years of prework.
“The process of the engineering design, reviews, and all of the steps we have to take, it takes years,” said Orbach. “If we don’t start the process now, by the time something hits just like with the wharf, we won’t have the plans to build it quickly.”
Councilmember Jensen argued that the council was not simply pushing the issue off for no reason.
“Measured process is not a delay, it’s a responsibility of governance,” he said. “I think it’s really important to go slow and understand where we are.”
Latest news
Here’s what’s happening this week on our roadways:
- Electrical work, tree work, and utility work are shutting down one lane of Highway 9 between Hihn Street and San Lorenzo Elementary, Cascade Avenue and Irwin Way, Riverdale Park and Monaco Lane, Pool Drive and Old County Highway, and Greenvale Drive and Ramona Drive Monday through Friday between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m.
- K-rail installation is causing an overnight closure of northbound and southbound Highway 1 between State Park Drive and Park Avenue from Monday through Friday between 9 p.m. and 6:30 a.m.
- Emergency sewer work in Soquel Village may occasionally block access to driveways, sidewalks, on-street parking and interrupt sewer service on weekdays until June 30, 2026 on Soquel Drive, Porter Street, and Main Street. Work on Soquel Drive will be overnight from 8:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Porter and Main Streets. Other, shorter duration potholing on Porter, Main, and Center Streets along with Daubenbiss Avenue will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30
