Quick Take
West Cliff Drive is finally back open to two-way traffic after over two years of at least single-lane closures along multiple stretches of road. Now, the city is preparing for some more projects on the coastline, including a roadway relocation and a study of Lighthouse Point.
After more than two years of roadwork and several closures along West Cliff Drive, the road on Santa Cruz’s Westside is finally opened back up to two-way traffic.
The scenic cliffside road has been under construction in a number of locations since it was severely damaged by the barrage of atmospheric rivers in early 2023, shutting down at least one direction of traffic on multiple parts of the road ever since. Crews have pushed forward on projects ranging from repairing sinkholes and slowing erosion to rehabilitating pedestrian paths and damaged culverts.
Kevin Crossley, assistant director of public works for the City of Santa Cruz, said that last week was the first week the road was fully accessible, as it officially reopened in its entirety on June 20. All that’s left is to replace some of the wooden handrailing along the previously closed stretch west of Woodrow Avenue.
The city will host a community event at Lighthouse Field on Aug. 15 from 5 to 8 p.m. to celebrate the completion of the work and the road’s return to form. Crossley added that there are currently no plans to implement a previously considered one-way pilot project along West Cliff Drive, which the Santa Cruz City Council voted against last April.
But the city isn’t done with the coastal road, as it is beginning to plan a hazard study for Lighthouse Point, which has a cave underneath its west side. Crossley said the study will allow the city to figure out a range of options for managing coastal erosion in the area.
“It could range the full spectrum from just relocating facilities like the museum all the way to additional armoring,” he said, referring to physical structures installed to protect the bluffs from further erosion.
While the California Coastal Commission has indicated that it would like jurisdictions to consider managed retreat where possible, Crossley said the city has not had a specific conversation with the commission about what direction the state agency wants local governments to move in to address coastal erosion in this area. However, given that the area in question has a substantial amount of open space surrounding it and little to no private property, the city has a bit more flexibility with how it can approach the work.
“There’s the recreational and tourist value that this area provides that may make for a compelling case that we should be proactively managing erosion in this area rather than passively,” Crossley said.
Not far from the lighthouse, the city is also working on an effort to relocate a section of road just down the street across from Lighthouse Field. That involves moving a 400-foot section of West Cliff Drive and its pedestrian path about 50 feet into a portion of Lighthouse Field, requiring collaboration with both the Coastal Commission and California State Parks, because Lighthouse Field is State Parks’ property. Crossley said the Santa Cruz City Council approved a contract for design and permitting for the roadway relocation this month, a process that could take one to two years.
Crossley said the schedule for that work is “a bit of a guess” given that the city still has to work through the project with State Parks and plan environmental impact work.
RTC gets $128.7 million in state funding for cross-county multimodal projects
The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) announced on Friday that it received $128.7 million in grant funding from the California Transportation Commission for a number of multimodal projects that connect Santa Cruz and Watsonville.
Several projects are now fully funded to begin construction. Those include the Highway 1 expansion project between State Park Drive and Freedom Boulevard, Coastal Rail Trail Segment 12 in Aptos from State Park Drive to Freedom Boulevard, Soquel Drive improvements including bike lanes, signal upgrades and new curb ramps, and infrastructure to support Santa Cruz Metro service between the two cities, including boarding platforms, shelters, time displays and signal priority at 60 traffic lights that allow buses to move through stoplights faster.
The funding comes through two state programs that aim to repair and upgrade transportation infrastructure throughout California. The RTC was one of fewer than a dozen organizations to receive funding through the programs.
The funding “is a major win for our community,” RTC Executive Director Sarah Christensen said in a news release. She added that the projects it will fund are important to improving the way county residents travel to and from schools, jobs, and other destinations while making walking and biking safer, creating a “more connected and sustainable future for Santa Cruz County.”
Latest news
Check out our Carmageddon road project list here. This week, pay particular attention to:
- The Highway 1 off-ramps at Park Avenue are still closed as part of the Highway 1 expansion project. The southbound off-ramp will be closed until October. The northbound off-ramp was closed April 7 and will stay closed until August.
- The Highway 1 on-ramp at Park Avenue is closed for five months in order for crews to reconstruct the ramp. Northbound travelers will be directed to take Soquel Drive to Porter Street to join northbound Highway 1 at the Bay Avenue/Porter Street on-ramp. Southbound travelers will be directed to exit Highway 1 at the Bay/Porter off-ramp, continue on Bay Avenue to arrive at Park Avenue It is slated to reopen in November.
- A full closure of the Murray Street Bridge will run until February 2026. It is closed for vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians. Vehicle traffic will be detoured along Soquel Avenue and Capitola Road via Seabright Avenue and 7th Avenue. Bicycles will be detoured across Arana Gulch and along Broadway via Seabright Avenue and 7th Avenue. Pedestrians will be detoured around the north harbor.
- A closure of the off-ramp of Highway 17 at Sims Road due to emergency drainage repairs will last through Thursday at 5 a.m.
- The installation of a water treatment plant pipeline will take place in Soquel, along Soquel Drive between Cunnison Lane and Cinnamon Street, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and on Cunnision Lane from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays. The closures will move between lanes and will last through the week.
- The installation of the Newell Creek Pipeline on Graham Hill Road between Summit Avenue and Lockewood Lane will take place on weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and could cause delays of up to five minutes.
- There will be overnight single lane closures of Soquel Drive between La Fonda Avenue and State Park Drive from through Tuesday for repaving and striping along the road. The closures will take place between 7:30 p.m. and 5:30 a.m. from Sundays through Thursdays.
- Tree work and drainage work will close down sections of Highway 9 from Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Those sections are between Henry Cowell Redwoods Vista Point and Glengarry Road, Prospect Avenue and Lorenzo Avenue, and Clear Creek/Pacific Street and Arboleda Way.
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