Carmageddon: Capitola City Council approves short-term repairs for Stockton Avenue Bridge to extend lifespan

The Capitola City Council approved a short-term repair for the Stockton Avenue Bridge that city officials say is likely to extend the life of the aging structure by roughly 10 to 15 years.

The bridge spanning Soquel Creek near where it empties into Monterey Bay is 93 years old, and while there is no immediate safety concern according to engineering experts, 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 at a previous meeting in April that he would expect a structure like the Stockton Avenue Bridge to last no more than 100 years, and that a typical lifespan for infrastructure like it is about 75 years.

Capitola Public Works Director Jessica Kahn explained three options for work on the bridge. The first, which state agency Caltrans recommended in its most recent inspection report, involves a new polyester protective surface over the existing deck, improving protection but not fully restoring or replacing the deck. The initial estimate for construction costs is about $284,000, and the estimate for other things such as design, bid support and engineering support is roughly $126,000.

“Adding an inch of concrete over a bridge adds several tons of weight, so that needs to be evaluated,” she said. “Given all of that, completion by the winter is really unlikely, even under emergency conditions.”

The second option is a lower-cost treatment that involves pouring a type of liquid resin on the bridge deck to fill cracks and keep water from seeping through. Although it’s less intensive, and would add only three to five years to the bridge’s lifespan, Kahn said that it’s possible this process could be finished before the winter. The initial construction cost estimate is about $100,000, with the other components costing roughly $72,000.

The five-member city council eventually approved moving forward with the Caltrans-recommended polyester protective surface option, with just Councilmember Melinda Orbach voting “no.” Orbach cited cost concerns with both projects, as the entire scope of what work will need to happen on the bridge is still not entirely certain, and said she’d rather have a fully fleshed-out project that would be eligible for state and federal funding. She suggested putting out a bid for an engineer for a seismic, structural and geotechnical analysis for a clearer picture of the path forward.

“Because otherwise, we’re really putting a band-aid over a structure, and we may need to remove that whole deck when we do the actual retrofitting work,” she said. “I just think it’s a lot of money for our city.”

Councilmembers Susan Westman and Joe Clarke, on the other hand, agreed that the city should contact state Sen. John Laird about potential state funding, and that if the city will be going to Caltrans for funding down the road, it makes sense to take the agency’s recommendation.

“No matter what ultimately happens with the other studies, we’re probably talking about eight or 10 years from now,” said Westman. “So I would certainly like to do something on top of the bridge that will preserve it and give us those eight or 10 years to work through this project.”

Latest news

Here’s what’s happening this week on our roadways:

• Utility and shoulder work is shutting down one lane in various sections of Highway 9 from Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Those sections are between lower Glen Arbor Road and Arboleda Way, Cascade Avenue and Irwin Way, and Ramona Drive and Stapp Road.

• There will be a full closure of the San Lorenzo Way Bridge in Felton beginning Tuesday, Sept. 15, through Friday, Oct. 9, as crews prepare to replace the bridge.

• Shoulder work is causing an overnight closure of the southbound Bay Avenue off-ramp and on-ramp at northbound Highway 1 in Capitola from Monday through Thursday between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m.

• The southbound Highway 1 off-ramp at Bay Avenue in Capitola is in the second month of a scheduled four-month closure that began Aug. 2, as crews reconstruct the ramp as part of the bus-on-shoulder facility. 

• Bridge work is currently shutting down alternating lanes of Highway 9 between Pool Drive and Old County Highway and Riverdale Park and Monaco Lane until April 30, 2027.

• Roadway excavation is shutting down the southbound Highway 1 on-ramp at Park Avenue in Capitola until Nov. 19.

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