Santa Cruz County is asking residents to go car-free for a week and try out new bike paths, bridge crossings and public transit improvements, complete with community events and giveaways to encourage more carpooling and active transportation.
Carmageddon
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Carmageddon: Watsonville plans millions in road upgrades, expanding bike lanes and sidewalks
Watsonville is planning a series of road improvements through 2026, including $4.7 million to add bike lanes and sidewalks along Freedom Boulevard. They’re the latest upgrades to South County streets after a stretch of Green Valley Road got a makeover earlier this year.
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Carmageddon: Facing cost overruns, RTC eyes rail trail changes that could jeopardize state grants
As Santa Cruz County transit officials grapple with soaring rail trail costs, they face tough choices such as trimming amenities or shortening the path to save money, but risk losing millions in state funding.
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Carmageddon: City council’s Murray Street Bridge rescue plan could take years, with uncertain benefits
The Santa Cruz City Council’s plans to fix problems caused by the lengthy Murray Street Bridge closure could face a long, costly road ahead, city officials say, with no guarantee they will significantly ease congestion.
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Carmageddon: County’s annual road maintenance program enters final stretch
Santa Cruz County work crews have already performed annual maintenance on both Mid-County and North County roads, the latter round being completed last Friday. Now crews will move on to South County roads for the final stretch of work, which begins Monday and is expected to last through late October.
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Carmageddon: RTC still facing funding gap for passenger rail environmental work
As the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission’s passenger rail project continues to move forward, the agency still needs to find funding for the project’s environmental analysis. While it would prefer to secure a state or federal grant for the work, it could come down to a commission decision to allocate local funds.
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Carmageddon: Bay Street redevelopment; 4 takeaways from new passenger train report
The first phase in making Bay Street friendlier to cyclists and pedestrians is set to wrap up this fall on Santa Cruz’s Westside, while a new report offers more details on plans for passenger rail service ahead of Thursday’s RTC public hearing.
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Carmageddon: Harbor access roads join Murray Street closure; input requested for Bethany Curve public art
The east harbor access road beneath the Murray Street Bridge has closed until January in the interest of public safety, as crews will be staging heavy equipment and relocating everything from rock armoring and utilities into the pedestrian zone.
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Carmageddon: First phase of Highway 1 redevelopment complete; next phases likely to carry into 2030s
The completion of the “Whale Bridge” at Chanticleer Avenue is the final piece of the first phase of the Highway 1 expansion project, and the next two phases will stretch well into the future.
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Carmageddon: Rail project set for key month, with full project report, public meetings expected ahead of August RTC vote
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.