The new Capitola Avenue overcrossing at Highway 1 opened to the public last week after a two-year closure.
The heavily-used corridor for motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians between Soquel and Capitola villages is the first completed component of the Highway 1 Auxiliary Lanes and Bus-on-Shoulder Project between Bay Avenue/Porter Street and State Park Drive. It replaces the aging bridge that needed upgrading, and did not fit with current project plans, according to the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (RTC), who are working with Caltrans and local agencies on the job.
“The opening of the Capitola Avenue Overcrossing is an exciting milestone for our community, and a tangible example of how we are investing in a safer, more connected, and more multimodal transportation network,” said RTC Chair Eduardo Montesino. “The new bridge will improve everyday travel today while supporting long-term connectivity to future projects. It’s an investment in how our community moves now and in the decades ahead.”
In addition to the Capitola Avenue Overcrossing, the Highway 1 Auxiliary Lanes and Bus-on-Shoulder Project between Bay Avenue/Porter Street and State Park Drive include northbound and southbound auxiliary lanes and bus-on-shoulder improvements, and a bicycle and pedestrian overcrossing of Highway 1 at Mar Vista Avenue.
Construction on the overall corridor project is ongoing and is expected to be completed in late 2026, said Ashley Hussey, City of Santa Cruz community relations specialist.
The community is invited to attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Capitola Avenue Overcrossing on Feb. 26, from 4-5pm. at 911 Capitola Road.
Meanwhile, another heavily-travelled bridge in Santa Cruz, the Murray Street Bridge, has partially reopened. The bridge closed in January 2025 as part of the The Murray Street Bridge Seismic Retrofit and Barrier Replacement Project, a long-term infrastructure project to improve safety, seismic resilience, and multimodal access. Improvements include wider bike lanes, a two-way pedestrian path, upgraded traffic barriers, and relocation and upsizing of a regional sewer force main. The City of Santa Cruz said one eastbound lane and the bike and pedestrian corridors in the same direction have now reopened.
“As part of the partial reopening, one lane will reopen to vehicles and bicyclists, and two-way pedestrian access across the bridge will be restored,” city officials said.
Throughout construction, Seabright and harbor-area businesses remain open and accessible. To encourage visitation, free two-hour parking is available on Seabright Avenue.
The City is preparing for a second full closure of the Murray Street Bridge, scheduled for June through August 2026. That closure will last about three months.
Additionally, the annual Wharf to Wharf race will once again take an alternative route around the bridge as it did in 2025, Hussey said.
