It is construction season and the cities of Capitola, Santa Cruz, Scotts Valley, and Watsonville, the County of Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz METRO, Community Bridges, and the RTC are putting Measure D funds to work – filling potholes, building new bicycle and walking paths, replacing outdated buses, increasing transportation service for seniors and people with disabilities, and designing major infrastructure projects. The following highlights a few of the Measure D-funded projects that are underway.
Rail Trail Breaking Ground
The first Rail Trail section of the Monterey Bay Sanctuary Scenic Trail Network (MBSST) between Natural Bridges Drive to Bay St/California Ave in the City of Santa Cruz (phase 1 of Segment 7) is expected to break ground soon, with construction anticipated to take about 6 months.
The San Lorenzo River Trestle Widening project, improving access for bicycles and pedestrians traveling next to the railroad tracks near the Boardwalk, is anticipated to go out to bid for construction in September or October. The project to be completed in spring 2019.
The draft environmental document for the North Coast section from Davenport to Wilder Ranch State Park (Segment 5) will be available for public review in the coming weeks.
Fixing Your Local Streets and Roads
City and County public works departments have been busy repairing local roads and improving bicycle and pedestrian facilities throughout the county.
County of Santa Cruz: 2018 Resurfacing Project includes 55 days of summer construction on roadways in Boulder Creek, La Selva Beach, Martin Road, and Miller Road. Maps of construction locations in unincorporated areas are online at: http://2018measuredsantacruzcounty.org/. The work involves the resurfacing of approximately 6.4 miles on 27 roadways in unincorporated areas.
Capitola: Starting this September Capitola will begin construction of its 2018 Slurry Seal Program which will complete pavement repairs and apply a slurry seal on sections of Wharf Road, 46th Avenue, Prospect Avenue, Capitola Avenue, Pine Street, Plum Street, Burlingame Avenue, Del Monte Avenue, and Pilgrim Drive.
Santa Cruz: Citywide Street Reconstruction: The city is repaving roadways citywide and will begin complete reconstruction of Cedar Street from Cathcart Street through the intersection at Elm Street later this summer.
Scotts Valley: Completed work on the Scotts Valley/Mt. Hermon Road intersection in June. Pavement Rehabilitation and Bicycle Paths –Green Hills Road: Started construction in June. New sidewalks on Kings Village Road and Blue Bonnet starting construction later this summer.
Watsonville: Measure D funding received in FY17/18 was used on Pedestrian and Traffic Safety and Downtown Revitalization efforts, including – pedestrian safety flashing beacon installed on Main St (see photo), lighting through downtown, and bicycle safety Bike Smart, Walk Smart, and Earn-a-bike programs. Watsonville is gearing up for more bicycle safety improvements, including signage and traffic markings, trail maintenance, pedestrian and traffic safety improvements, and reconstruction of Green Valley Road starting this fall.
Highway Projects
The RTC, working closely with the County of Santa Cruz and Caltrans, is accelerating design work for construction of auxiliary lanes between 41st Avenue and Soquel Drive, and a bicycle/pedestrian crossing at Chanticleer. Proposals for engineering services are due July 30.
Caltrans is moving quickly on design of the Highway 17 Wildlife Crossing. Community members expressed strong enthusiasm for the project at a public meeting held in Scotts Valley this spring. The Land Trust of Santa Cruz County has kicked off its fundraising campaign for funds needed to match Measure D funds allocated to the project.
METRO Rebuilding Fleet with SB1 and Measure D
METRO has acquired 18 new vehicles to replace aging vehicles with more efficient and cleaner running equipment. Acquisition of the new vehicles was made possible because of Measure D and SB1. The new vehicles include three Paul Revere buses, three ParaCruz Cut-Away buses and 12 ParaCruz Vans.
Implementation and Oversight
Agencies that receive Measure D funds updated their Five-Year Plans this spring, outlining how each agency plans to use Measure D funds FY2018/19-FY22/23. Links to the Five-Year Plans are available on the RTC website: www.sccrtc.org/move.
The RTC received 35 applications for the Measure D Taxpayer Oversight Committee and will be selecting members for the oversight committee in September. The Oversight Committee will be responsible for ensuring Measure D revenues have been spent in accordance with the Measure D Ordinance and Expenditure Plan.
Fiscal Year 2017/18 Measure D revenues exceeded original projections by 4.5 %.
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SCCRTC 1523 Pacific Avenue, Santa Cruz, CA 95060. Tel# (831) 460-3200. Website: https://sccrtc.org