RTC Receives $72.16 Million from State for Highway 1 Auxiliary Lane & Bus-on-Shoulder Project

The Santa Cruz Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) received an allocation of $72.16 million from the California Transportation Commission (CTC) for its Highway 1 Auxiliary Lane and Bus-on-Shoulder (Bay/Porter to State Park) project, which includes a new bicycle and pedestrian overcrossing at Mar Vista Drive. This funding is part of over $988 million allocated by the CTC last week to repair and improve transportation infrastructure throughout the state, including more than $450 million from the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 (IIJA) and more than $250 million from Senate Bill (SB) 1, the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017.

The RTC allocated funds will go toward construction and construction support for the Highway 1 Auxiliary Lane and Bus-on-Shoulder project from Bay Avenue/Porter Street to State Park Drive. This project is a part of the Watsonville to Santa Cruz Multimodal Corridor program that is composed of innovative projects on the three main north to south routes through Santa Cruz County – Highway 1, Soquel Avenue/Soquel Drive/Freedom Boulevard, and the Santa Cruz Branch Line – that will address vital transportation needs of the community.

“This project will provide numerous benefits to our community, including improved traffic operations and safety on Highway 1, reduced traffic diverted onto local streets and neighborhoods, improved transit bus service and safer infrastructure for bicyclists and pedestrians,” said RTC Executive Director Guy Preston. “The project will decrease congestion, reduce vehicle miles traveled and create a more sustainable community.”

The approximately 3-mile-long project will construct northbound and southbound auxiliary lanes and bus-on shoulder facilities between the Bay Avenue/Porter Street and State Park Drive interchanges. It will replace the existing Capitola Avenue overcrossing with a new bridge that will include enhanced bicycle and pedestrian facilities to improve connectivity for bicyclists and pedestrians between Soquel Drive to the north and the future Coastal Rail Trail to the south. The project also includes a new bicycle and pedestrian overcrossing at Mar Vista Drive. The project is expected to go to construction in the fall of 2023. Refer to the project fact sheet for more information.

In addition to the funds the RTC received, Caltrans received an allocation of $3.3 million for the final design and right-of-way components of the Highway 9 Felton Safety Improvements Project from the State Highway Operation and Protection Program (SHOPP). The project proposes to construct pedestrian and bicycle facilities to improve safety on Highway 9 near Felton from Kirby Street to north of Fall Creek Drive. For more information about the project, visit the Caltrans project website.

SB 1 provides $5 billion in transportation funding annually that is shared equally between the state and local agencies. Road projects progress through construction phases more quickly based on the availability of SB 1 funds, including projects that are partially funded by SB 1. For more information about transportation projects funded by SB 1, visit RebuildingCA.ca.gov.