Santa Cruz County Transportation Digest

The Assembly approves Gov. Newsom’s bill on oil refineries on a 44-17 vote. But the state Senate will have its say during the special session.

The governor wants new gas reserves to dampen seasonal price spikes. Refiners say the move would raise prices and require new storage tanks.

Applications are open for seats on the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission Elderly and Disabled Transportation Advisory Committee.

Starting September 29, the Bay Avenue/Porter Street onramp to southbound Highway 1 will be closed as phase 2 of Highway 1 construction continues.

California is the seventh U.S. state to adopt mobile driver’s licenses for iPhones, part of a growing push by businesses and governments to make digital IDs commonplace.

Three community meetings will be hosted by the City of Santa Cruz as it develops a five-year roadmap for West Cliff Drive.

Despite concerns, the increase in use of e-bikes in Santa Cruz hasn't led to a significant uptick in serious accidents.

In their September 10, the Santa Cruz City Council heard an update on repairs to 11 separate sites on scenic West Cliff Drive.

In their September 3 meeting, the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission named senior transportation engineer Sarah Christensen as the new executive director.

Free and discounted fairs and a special bus route to the Santa Cruz County Fair are being offered by Santa Cruz Metro September 11-15.

California Highway Patrol officers received historically high raises in 2022 and 2023, but it continues to face a high vacancy rate of 16%.

Highway 1 between Western Drive in Santa Cruz and Pigeon Point Road in San Mateo County will be closed on parts of September 8 to make way for the biking leg of the 70.3 Santa Cruz triathlon.

Santa Cruz County officials have allocated $500,000 towards construction of a temporary road for use by residents affected by the Mountain Charlie Road slow-moving landslide.

In their August 13 meeting, the Santa Cruz City Council approved a plan to improve the Pacific Avenue/Beach Street roundabout.

The EPA must grant a waiver before the diesel truck measure can be implemented. It’s one of California’s most controversial measures to clean up air pollution and greenhouse gases.

In its August 13 meeting, the Santa Cruz Board of Supervisors approved an ordinance prohibiting e-bikes from sidewalks in the unincorporated parts of the county.

Several projects underway in Santa Cruz County to repair local roads impacted by storms in 2023 are affected by FEMA funding shortfalls.

Efforts to improve service on Santa Cruz Metro are making progress with the announced meeting of driver hiring goals as the transit system works to double ridership.

The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission received grant funding for resiliency planning focused on four areas vulnerable to climate impacts.

An update on repairs to the Cabrillo College pedestrian bridge over Soquel Drive which was damaged and closed in January.

Public chargers must be built at an unprecedented pace to meet the target in less than 7 years, and then doubled to 2 million in 2035. The high cost — $120,000 or more for one fast charger— is just one obstacle.

A recap of a June 27 meeting attended by residents of Mountain Charlie Road and officials from the Santa Cruz County Department of Public Works.

There are few answers and no solution yet for the slow moving landslide on Mountain Charlie Road isolating a Santa Cruz mountain neighborhood.

The groundbreaking for the north coast segment of the Santa Cruz Rail Trail was held a Wilder Ranch State Park on June 20.

The Santa Cruz County Civil Grand Jury released a report on the state of the 586 miles of county-maintained roads, finding them inadequately funded and maintained.

The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission approved an additional $3 million for the Highway 1 expansion project to cover cost overruns.

The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation is getting an early look at three potential passenger rail vehicles for the rail trail, with public open houses scheduled for June 25 and 26.

A Bay Area transit funding bill is delayed so supporters can seek consensus on how the money will be raised and distributed.

Santa Cruz Metro has observed a 23% increase in ridership following service changes in late 2023.

On May 20, a groundbreaking ceremony was held on the now-cleared site of the former downtown Santa Cruz Metro station to celebrate the beginning of construction of a new transit hub and 128-unit affordable apartment complex.

The Santa Cruz Regional Transportation Commission has informed some residents of two mobile home parks in Live Oak of a need to move their units 1 to 4 feet due to encroachment over lot boundaries.

The California Coastal Commission granted a two-year extension to the controversial City of Santa Cruz ban on overnight RV street parking.