Bay/Porter onramp to southbound Highway 1 slated for 2-month closure

CAPITOLA — The Bay Avenue/Porter Street onramp to southbound Highway 1 in Capitola will soon shutter for two months as the second phase of a major highway construction effort moves forward. The closure will go into effect Sept. 29 and is expected to last through Nov.

29, according to a release from the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission, the local project lead. It will allow crews to establish a pavement elevation that can accommodate a permanent bus-on-shoulder facility along the highway. The project area stretches from the Bay Avenue/Porter Street interchange to State Park Drive in Aptos and is the second of a three-phase effort to establish a combination of bus-on-shoulder facilities and auxiliary lanes along the highway from Santa Cruz to Watsonville.



Message and directional signs will be posted to guide travelers to detour routes. Those on Porter Street can navigate over to Soquel Drive to head south until they reach Park Avenue where they can then turn right and rejoin southbound Highway 1 at the Park Avenue onramp. Commuters on Bay Avenue can continue to Park Avenue to then head south where they can also rejoin southbound Highway 1 at the Park Avenue onramp.

The ramp closure will also allow crews to partially excavate the existing onramp, correct the slope to accommodate the bus-on-shoulder feature, widen the mainline shoulder, install drainage inlets and complete electrical work and striping. The Phase 2 effort, costing $78 million, broke ground in April with construction led by Watsonville-based contractor Granite Construction. The project scope also includes a new overpass with improved vehicle, bicycle and pedestrian facilities at Capitola Avenue and another one further south for bicycles and pedestrians only at Mar Vista Drive.

The estimated completion date for the second phase is September of 2026, according to the release..