The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission is gearing up to release its draft project concept report for the ambitious passenger rail project, and will be holding an information session and office hours over the next few weeks.
Carmageddon
Carmageddon: Crucial road repairs in the mountains; rural highway safety survey
Communities in the Santa Cruz Mountains and North County face months of road repairs as officials race against approaching winter weather. Plus, the RTC launches a survey on rural highways.
Carmageddon: West Cliff reopens to two-way traffic; RTC receives $128M state grant
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.
Carmageddon: Seven-month closure of Murray Street Bridge begins; bike path changes on East Cliff
The Murray Street Bridge will be entirely closed for seven months as of Monday. While the City of Santa Cruz has made some changes to the detour routes, drivers should prepare for heavy traffic. Separately, the county is studying updates to the bike path along East Cliff Drive.
Carmageddon: RTC plans pop-ups, ‘office hours’ to answer questions on $4.3B rail project
Facing sticker shock over the $4.3 billion price tag for its rail project, the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission is ditching town halls for pop-up events at farmers markets and one-on-one office hours because community members prefer more direct discussions, transit officials say.
Carmageddon: RTC’s $4.3B passenger rail plans to face scrutiny in pair of public meetings this week
After the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission holds an information session on Monday focused on both ridership projections and project costs associated with its ambitious passenger rail project, it will give a presentation on the draft concept report for the project as it aims for the final report’s completion this fall.
Carmageddon: Capitola Avenue bridge completion pushed to November
Although the Capitola Avenue bridge is already going on 14 months of closure, it will likely not be available for use again until November, as crews have recently finished the early work on supportive structures before beginning on the roadway crossing Highway 1 between Soquel and Capitola.
Carmageddon: Chanticleer overcrossing close to completion; rail trail ribbon-cutting draws hundreds
The so-called “Whale Bridge” over Highway 1 in Live Oak is slated for a July 30 opening but could be done sooner; on Santa Cruz’s Westside, students from Bay View Elementary took the first walk on the segment of the Coastal Rail Trail that connects Bay Street to the wharf.
Carmageddon: A difficult section of Coastal Rail Trail has finally opened in Santa Cruz
Segment 7, Phase 2 of the Coastal Rail Trail is short, but the section on Santa Cruz’s Westside came with a number of difficulties that caused several delays. Its completion creates a continuous path that runs from Natural Bridges State Beach all the way to the roundabout by the wharf. The city will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday morning.
Carmageddon: Santa Cruz County’s season of roadwork is underway for the next six months
Santa Cruz County has begun its annual road maintenance program, aiming to repair and rehabilitate roads before the winter, while also conducting drain maintenance and vegetation management to prevent flooding and further road damage. The work is split into three phases, and will last until the fall.

