Quick Take
The new, still-under-construction pedestrian bridge over Highway 1 was decorated with metal whales in June, creating an artistic element to one of the county's biggest highway construction projects.
From this moment forward, Santa Cruz County commuters of the present (and future) may have another handy place-name buzzword to separate locals from out-of-towners, much like the “Fishhook” and “over the hill.”
Are you ready for the “Whale Bridge”?
Well, it sure beats the “Highway 1 Multimodal Redevelopment Project,” doesn’t it?
Of course, we’re talking about the new, under-construction, horseshoe-shaped pedestrian/bicycle bridge crossing Highway 1 between Santa Cruz and Capitola at Chanticleer Avenue. In June, the bridge became something of a public art piece when a series of whales, cut from sheet metal, were applied to it for the enjoyment of drivers on Highway 1 — “enjoyment” being largely a foreign concept on that particular stretch of Highway 1.
The whales on the Chanticleer bicycle/pedestrian bridge. Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz 
Project manager for Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission, Sarah Christensen Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz 
The whale cutout details for the Chanticleer bicycle/pedestrian bridge. Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz 
The whales on the Chanticleer bicycle/pedestrian bridge. Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz
There are eight whale cutouts on one side of the bridge (southbound toward Watsonville) and 10 on the other, said Regional Transportation Commission transportation engineer Sarah Christensen.
The whales are not only a symbol of the marine orientation of Santa Cruz County, but they are also a symbol of community democracy as well.
soquel drive improvements
“We decided we wanted to do something (artistic on the bridge),” said Christensen, “so we came up with a few ideas that were like community identifiers. So the city of Capitola, county staff, Caltrans, RTC staff and our consultants put our heads together and came up with a few options.”
The whale design was one of four considered by the RTC when it put the matter before the public in 2019. The whale beat out herons, jellyfish, and Chinook salmon for the honor to decorate the bridge.
The whales are the work of the landscape engineering firm Mark Thomas & Company, from San Jose. That company came up with a handful of designs of whales that it then fabricated from metal. The fabrication and installation costs came to about $120,000, said Christensen. Funding for the whales came from the 2016 Measure D sales tax, and a state grant secured by the RTC.
The bridge will be open for pedestrian and bicycle traffic in 2025.