Highway 1 Corridor Project Between Bay/Porter and State Park Drive to Begin with Closure and Demolition of Capitola Ave. Overcrossing
Work is underway on a project to construct north and southbound auxiliary lanes and bus-on-shoulder improvements on Highway 1 between the Bay Ave./Porter St. and State Park Drive interchanges. This project will also construct a bicycle/pedestrian overcrossing at Mar Vista Dr. and replace the existing Capitola Ave. overcrossing at Highway 1.
Closure of the Capitola Avenue Overcrossing
This project will construct a new overcrossing on Hwy. 1 at Capitola Avenue. The current overcrossing will be closed, prepped for demolition, and torn down during the first phase of this project.
The new overcrossing, expected to open in the Summer/Fall of 2025, will include bike lanes and sidewalk improvements that will help connect neighborhoods, schools, parks, beaches, and commercial centers. In promoting the use of alternative transportation modes, it will also increase transportation system capacity and reliability.
On Monday March 11, at 9 am, crews will close the Capitola Ave. overcrossing at Hwy. 1 to all vehicle, bicycle, and pedestrian traffic and begin preparation for the demolition of the overcrossing. This long-term closure will be in effect for approximately 14 months. A detour will be in place via Bay Ave./Porter St. and Park Ave. Message and directional signs will be posted to assist travelers.
24-Hour Closure of Hwy. 1 for Demolition of the Capitola Avenue Overcrossing
From Saturday March 23 at 7 pm through Sunday March 24 at 7 pm, travelers will encounter a full closure of Hwy. 1 between Bay/Porter and Park Ave. Demolition crews will use this 24-hour closure to safely demolish the Capitola Ave. overcrossing and haul materials away.
During this 24-hour closure, travelers on northbound Hwy. 1 will exit at Park Ave. and travel on Soquel Dr. to rejoin northbound Hwy. 1 onramp at Bay/Porter. Travelers on southbound Hwy. 1 will be directed off at Bay/Porter, travel on Soquel Dr. and rejoin southbound Hwy. 1 at the Park Ave. onramp. Highway 1 will fully reopen to travel on Sunday March 24 at 7 pm.
The date for the demolition of the Capitola Ave. overcrossing and 24-hour closure of Hwy. 1 is weather dependent. Updates will be provided in advance of March 23.
The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) is leading the delivery of this project in partnership with Caltrans, the County of Santa Cruz, City of Capitola, and the Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District. The project is funded by 2016 Measure D funds and other RTC discretionary funds were used to complete the work necessary to ready the project for construction. Construction of the project is being led by Caltrans and is fully funded through a combination of Measure D and Senate Bill 1 (SB1) Solutions to Congested Corridors and Local Partnership Program grant funds.
The contractor for this $79 million project is Granite Construction of Watsonville, CA. This project is expected to be completed in 2026.
Updated project information for the improvements on Highway 1 between the Bay Ave./Porter St. and State Park Drive interchanges can be found on the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission’s website.
Road information and updates can also be found on Caltrans District 5 Social Media platforms: Twitter at: @CaltransD5, Facebook at: Caltrans Central Coast (District 5) and Instagram at: Caltrans_D5.
Our crews deserve to get home safely too. Drive slowly and carefully in work zones.
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