The Capitola City Council voted to submit a request to the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission that $200,000 originally ticketed for Bay Avenue corridor improvements be reallocated to preliminary planning work for the Capitola trestle, to determine whether it could feasibly support trail segments.
Carmageddon
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Carmageddon: Capitola City Council OKs some safety improvements on Bay Avenue, but nixes roundabouts
The Capitola City Council moved forward with safety improvements on Bay Avenue between Capitola and Soquel, including lighting and an additional crosswalk, but stopped short of exploring roundabouts at Bay’s intersections with Hill Street and Capitola Avenue.
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Carmageddon: RTC targeting fall 2026 completion of North Coast rail trail
The construction of the North Coast section of Coastal Rail Trail is shutting down an informal parking area near Davenport for about six months as the Regional Transportation Commission targets a fall 2026 completion date. Once finished, there will be nearly 10 miles of continuous trail between Davenport and the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf.
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Carmageddon: RTC considering list of transit and paratransit requests
The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission will consider a draft of this year’s list of unmet transit and paratransit needs at its meeting Thursday, an annual occurrence informed by members of the community.
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Carmageddon: Santa Cruz City Council eyes updates to active transportation plan; Bike Santa Cruz County annual survey
The Santa Cruz City Council will vote on whether to approve this year’s updates to the city’s active transportation plan, a guide for implementing projects, policies and initiatives that promote and improve walking, biking and mass transit.
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Carmageddon: Capitola won’t rebuild Grand Avenue pathway; free Metro fares for Earth Day
The Capitola City Council will not relocate the eroded Grand Avenue pathway on Depot Hill, opting instead to look at minor improvements to the area to maintain public access.
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Carmageddon: Capitola begins to study options to repair or replace the Stockton Avenue bridge
The Capitola City Council will begin to study the viability of the Stockton Avenue Bridge that links Capitola Village and the surrounding areas. Evaluation of the structure showed deterioration of the bridge deck and reinforcing steel, and found that a full deck replacement is needed, but a full bridge replacement is the best long-term solution.
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Carmageddon: RTC approves ’26-27 budget, next steps in operating rail line
The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission on Thursday approved its proposed budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year, which is similar to the current year’s budget. It also approved agreements in the process of becoming the Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line’s operator.
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Carmageddon: Deal on separating from Progressive Rail could keep RTC out of court; eyeing contract with new rail operator in South County
The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission will consider a separation agreement with Progressive Rail in order to avoid a court battle following the RTC’s move to become the common carrier on the rail line. It will also consider entering a new contract with a new rail operator for part of the rail line in South County that still serves freight customers.
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Carmageddon: Sales tax to prevent major cuts to Santa Cruz Metro aimed for November ballot
Supporters of Santa Cruz Metro have begun gathering signatures to get a sales tax on the November ballot by way of a citizens’ initiative, in order to lower the threshold for the number of votes needed to pass. Without local funding, the county transit agency faces potentially major cuts to its personnel and level of service.