CAPITOLA — A full, 24-hour closure of Highway 1 in Capitola, previously rescheduled due to stormy weather, is on track to take place this weekend, according to a release from the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission.
The closure is slated to happen from 7 p.m. Saturday to 7 p.m. Sunday, stretching in both directions from the Bay/Porter exit to Park Avenue with detours available along Soquel Drive. The closure will make way for the demolition of the 76-year-old Capitola Avenue bridge, which will be rebuilt with improved bicycle and pedestrian facilities as part of a multiyear project led by the transportation commission.
However, with some potential for more rain in the forecast, the closure remains weather dependent, according to the release.
Travelers moving northbound on the highway will be directed off at Park Avenue. Drivers will continue moving north on Soquel Drive before returning to the highway at the Bay/Porter onramp.
Similarly, motorists traveling southbound on the highway will be directed off at the Bay/Porter exit and will continue traveling south on Soquel Drive before returning to the highway via the Park Avenue onramp.
The bridge demolition and replacement is one component of a multimodal, estimated $94.2 million project from the transportation commission. The project, known as Phase 2 of the Watsonville-Santa Cruz Multimodal Corridor Program, will establish auxiliary lanes and bus-on-shoulder facilities about three miles in both directions from the Bay/Porter exit to State Park Drive. Other components include a pedestrian highway overcrossing at Mar Vista Drive.
Crews closed the Capitola Avenue overcrossing in early March and estimate it will remain that way for at least 14 months.
The release advises travelers from the San Francisco Bay Area that Highway 101 remains a viable alternative route to reach destinations along Highway 1 that are south of Capitola. Travelers from the Monterey Bay, Salinas River Valley and the Central Valley are advised that Highway 101 is a good alternative for reaching locations north of Capitola.