Carmageddon: Public input sought on South County train station project

The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission’s (RTC) vision for passenger rail service in the county trundles forward, with more opportunities for public input on various aspects of the long-term project.

The Transportation Agency for Monterey County (TAMC) is hosting a community input session on Nov. 20 for members of the public to provide feedback on a proposed train station that would serve both Pajaro and Watsonville.

This meeting is part of the project’s environmental review process for the station, which would be located in Watsonville Junction, near Salinas Road and Lewis Road, in northern Monterey County.

The Zero Emission Passenger Rail and Trail Project would establish passenger rail service and stations on about 22 miles of the Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line from Santa Cruz to Pajaro, and 12 miles of Coastal Rail Trail from Rio Del Mar Boulevard in Aptos through La Selva Beach and Watsonville.

The RTC hopes to break ground on the project in 2032. 

In February, the public got its first eyes on the project overview and had the chance to offer feedback on the overall plan. Those sessions saw community members express both excitement and uncertainty. 

In July, the public took a look at possible passenger train vehicle types that could serve the passenger rail project. Most attendees in these sessions favored light rail options that are speedier and more energy-efficient compared to traditional locomotive-hauled trains.

Much of the public concern about the project revolves around the price tag, estimated at about $478 million in a 2020 report. Some are not certain ridership would reach the level it would take to make the huge undertaking worthwhile. Supporters, on the other hand, believe that it would greatly improve cross-county commutes, help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and provide a reliable travel option for all residents.

The Nov. 20 public input session will run from 6 to 8 p.m. at Pajaro Middle School.

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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 is in the midst of a two-month closure to allow construction crews to adjust the roadway elevation in line with the bus-on-shoulder lane. 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. RTC expects the ramp to reopen on Nov. 29.

• The on-ramp to northbound Highway 1 from northbound 41st Avenue will be closed from Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. for landscape work.

• Drainage work, tree work and guardrail work will close down sections of Highway 9 from Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Those sections are between Lazy Woods Road and lower Glen Arbor Road, lower Glen Arbor Road and California Drive/Middle Road, San Lorenzo Valley High School and Lazy Woods Road, Arboleda Way and Pike Road, Marshall Creek Bridge and Brown Gables Road, Prospect Avenue and Lorenzo Avenue, and Spring Creek Road and Greenvale Drive.

• Through the end of 2024, various sections of Soquel Drive between State Park Drive and Paul Sweet Road could be reduced to one lane of traffic as the Soquel Drive Buffered Bike Lane and Congestion Mitigation Project moves forward. It includes new bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, adaptive traffic signals and updated sidewalks and curbs. The sections of road will be intermittently closed as work continues at multiple sites. Specifically, look out for intermittent single-lane closures between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

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