Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission Wins Big with $128.7 Million Grant |
Image:a map of the projects funded by the $128.7 million California Transportation Commission grant.
The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) has secured a huge win: $128.7 million in state grant funding for the Watsonville to Santa Cruz Multimodal Corridor Program.
This funding will help extend the Highway 1 Auxiliary Lanes all the way to Freedom Boulevard. The first phase of this project (from Soquel Ave to 41st Ave) is already complete, and the second phase (41st Ave to State Park Dr) is underway. The third and final phase—stretching from State Park Dr to Freedom Blvd—is the most complex and expensive. That’s because it includes the Aptos Creek bridge and two rail crossings. Since those crossings are involved, this phase also includes Segment 12 of the Coastal Rail Trail. Completing the Highway 1 and Rail Trail Segment 12 project will now be possible thanks to $93.6 million of this award.
But that’s not the only thing getting funded.
Another $21.3 million will go toward completing the Soquel Drive Project (you may have noticed the recently installed bike lane separators). Now, this project will extend all the way to Freedom Blvd., bringing new sidewalks and improved bike lanes through Aptos Village and connecting to Soquel Drive businesses like The Hideout and the historic Redwood Village near Aptos Junior High.
And finally, $13.7 million is going to Santa Cruz METRO to improve local bus service. Upgrades will include new in-lane boarding platforms, transit signal priority at 60 intersections, better shelters, real-time arrival displays, and more. These improvements will impact key corridors like Soquel Drive, Soquel Avenue, 41st Ave, Capitola Road, as well as Main Street and Airport Boulevard in Watsonville.
This award is part of a $684.7 million statewide allocation from Senate Bill 1 (SB 1), announced two weeks ago. Santa Cruz County receiving 19% of the total funds—despite having less than 1% of California’s population—is a major achievement. So how did we pull it off?
The key factors were a strong local funding match and a clear multi-modal vision. The total cost of these projects is $294.8 million. The state’s grant covers 44%, while the remaining 56% will be funded by local dollars from the Measure D half-cent sales tax. That large local match made our application stand out. And because Measure D (passed in 2016) supports a transportation plan that includes improvements for drivers, cyclists, pedestrians, and transit riders alike, the state saw Santa Cruz’s plan as well-balanced and impactful.
Construction on these projects is expected to start in late 2026 or early 2027. |
Opportunity to Comment on the Updated Moran Lake Butterfly Habitat Management Plan
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Image: Left - a Monarch butterfly cluster' Right - strolling among the newly planted Monterey Cypress at Moran Lake.
County Parks held a community meeting about Moran Lake on Tuesday, June 24th where staff presented the findings of the recently completed wind study, as well as proposed tree and habitat management strategies. The goals of the management strategies are to prioritize public safety, protect monarch habitat, and restore native species and habitat. Slides from the presentation are available here. The presentation includes the replanting plan for 40 Moran Way (shown below). All of the trees on this lot were recently cut down due to safety concerns. Drainage work is scheduled to begin on the lot this summer. Replanting will begin after that (winter or spring 2026) after seasonal rains begin and staff are able to evaluate and modify drainage as needed. The replanting plan includes native trees such as Monterey Cypress and Coast Live Oak.
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Image: Draft replanting map showing new drainage through the middle (dark blue, scalloped), a walking path (hatch line), Coast Live Oak (red), Monterey Cypress (green), Buckeye (blue), Wax Myrtle (light blue), and Arroyo Willow (yellow).
County Parks plans to update the Moran Lake Monarch Butterfly Habitat Management Plan (MBHMP) to include the results of the wind study. They will also update Chapter 5.3 of the MBHMP with the proposed tree/habitat management strategies that were presented during the community meeting.
Public comments on the wind study and the materials from the meeting, including the proposed tree/habitat management strategies, will be accepted until Friday, July 11. Please submit your comments via the button below:
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Image: A rendering of Battery Energy Storage Systems. The Santa Cruz County Commission on the Environment is hosting a series of public workshops to better understand Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) and how they fit into California’s move toward clean energy. These systems store extra energy from alternative clean energy sources such as sun and wind, and allow energy from these sources to be used even when they’re not actively supplying energy. While BESS can help reduce the use of fossil fuels and improve energy reliability, these workshops will also provide a chance to discuss concerns about BESS, including concerns about safety and environmental impacts. The first workshop, which took place on June 25, focused on how BESS fits into the fight against climate change and how it supports the local power grid. You can access the recording here. The next two workshops will look at battery safety, fire prevention, and new technology. They are scheduled for July 30 and August 27 from 5 to 8 p.m. in the Board Chambers of the Santa Cruz County Governmental Center, 701 Ocean Street, 5th Floor, Santa Cruz, with remote participation available via Zoom.
View the press release here to learn more about the workshops. |
Image: Soquel Drive road work in progress
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Progress continues to move forward on the Soquel Drive Buffered Bike Lane and Congestion Mitigation Project. Here is the latest: - Project Area: Soquel Drive from La Fonda Ave to State Park Drive
- Date: Now through 7/18, Weeknights (Sun-Thurs)
- Time: 7:30 pm to 5:30 am
Sections within the project area may be reduced to one lane of travel in each direction. Expect wait times up to 15 minutes.
Description of work: Pavement resurfacing & application of new traffic stripe along Soquel Drive.
In addition to the work that is being completed on Soquel Drive, the 2025 Pavement Management Project continues as well. You can access the latest details, including the 3-week look ahead schedule, here.
Note the work scheduled for Live Oak and Soquel, specificially, on the maps below. This work is scheduled to begin on July 7th.
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County road operations will be busy all summer long, including mowing roads in Mid County through July and August. You can see the full maintenance schedule of pot-holing, ditching and mowing here.
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Wed, July 30 - Battery Energy Storage Systems Workshop from 5 PM to 8PM. The meeting will be held via Zoom and in person at the Board Chambers at 701 Ocean Street, Rm 525.
Wed, August 6 - Office Hours from 1 PM to 3 PM. Come visit me at the Sheriff's Center, 5200 Soquel Ave, Santa Cruz CA 95062. Bring your questions and meet with me one-on-one. As always, first come first served.
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