Both Highway 1 offramps at Park Avenue are set to be closed for months starting next week as part of major changes to the busy state highway.
On Thursday, April 17th, the southbound Highway 1 offramp at Park Avenue will close for six months. The northbound Park Avenue offramp was closed on April 7 and will remain closed for the next four months, two months shorter than the southbound closure. Both closures are due to construction on Highway 1 between the Bay Avenue/Porter Street and State Park Drive interchanges.
The work will build additional north and southbound auxiliary lanes, bus-on-shoulder improvements, and sound walls. The project also involves re-paving the area where the main highway and ramp pavement meet and correcting the profiles of the existing ramps. Construction to the southbound section will be more extensive, including a full roadway structural replacement.
Drivers are encouraged to use caution in construction areas. Signs will be posted guiding travelers along an available detour. Southbound drivers will continue south on Highway 1 and take the next exit at State Park Avenue and then turn left at the bottom of the exit ramp and use Soquel Drive to get to Park Avenue. Northbound drivers will continue north on Highway 1 to the Bay Avenue/Porter Street offramp, where signs will guide drivers to reach Park Avenue via Soquel Drive.
The contractor for this $78 million project is Granite Construction of Watsonville. The project is expected to be completed by Fall of 2026.
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