Watsonville – Santa Cruz Corridor
The Watsonville – Santa Cruz Multimodal Corridor Program (WSC-MCP) 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. The WSC-MCP is the Preferred Scenario that came out of the Unified Corridor Investment Study (UCS), which was adopted in 2019 as the RTC’s Comprehensive Multimodal Corridor Plan. The RTC used Measure D to fund the UCS to identify transportation improvements for the three parallel routes that are included in the WSC-MCP are Highway 1, Soquel Avenue/Drive – Freedom Boulevard, and The Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line.
The WSC-MCP Project will:
- Reduce congestion for all modes of travel
- Maximize the efficiency of the existing transportation infrastructure
- Improve safety for all modes of travel
- Increase multimodal options to increase corridor throughput
- Reduce greenhouse gas emissions
- Improve access for emergency services
- Promote business development and improve access to housing, jobs, schools, and medical facilities
- Improve active transportation connectivity
- Promote sustainable development and livable communities including complete streets
SCCP/LPP Cycle 2 Projects
The WSC-MCP is too large to be constructed as one stand-alone project. The RTC has carefully chosen a cost-effective project that can be efficiently delivered with Cycle 2 of the Senate Bill 1 programs – the Solutions for Congested Corridors Program and the Local Partnership Program, with maximum benefit and outputs for the end user.
The Watsonville – Santa Cruz Multimodal Corridor Program (WSC-MCP) Cycle 2 Project (Figure C-1) increases the throughput and safety of a regionally significant and congested corridor with an innovative solution to improve and integrate transit, active transportation, and highway/local roadway modes of travel.
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Program Overview
Transit Modes:
Highway 1
- 5.75 miles of a 7.5-mile long hybrid bus-on-shoulder/auxiliary lane facility between Morrissey Boulevard and State Park Drive
Soquel Avenue/Drive
- Transit signal priority at 23 intersections between La Fonda Avenue and State Park Drive
Highway/Local Roadway Modes:
Highway 1
- 3 new sets of Auxiliary Lanes – from Soquel Drive to State Park Drive
- Remove the bottleneck by replacing Capitola Avenue bridge
- Standard and continuous outside shoulders
Soquel Avenue/Drive
- Adaptive signal control at 23 intersections
- Pavement cape seal for 5.6-miles
Active Transportation (Bicycle and Pedestrian) Modes:
Highway 1
- New bike/ped overcrossings at Chanticleer Avenue and Mar Vista Drive
- New Capitola Avenue overcrossing with sidewalks and bike lanes
Soquel Avenue/Drive
- 4 miles of protected bike lanes and 2.7 miles of buffered bike lanes
- 46 green bike boxes for left turn movements
- Sidewalk gap closures
- 100 ADA ramps
- 96 crosswalk upgrades
- Crosswalk warning devices at 10 mid-block locations
Resources
- WSC-MCP Cycle 2 Project Fact Sheet
- 2040 Regional Transportation Plan
- AMBAG Metropolitan Transportation Plan & Sustainable Communities Strategy
- Unified Corridor Investment Study/ Comprehensive Multimodal Corridor Plan
- Monterey Bay Sanctuary Scenic Trail Network Master Plan
- Highway 1 Tier I/II Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Assessment
- Highway 1 Auxiliary Lanes – 41st Ave to Soquel Ave/Dr and Chanticleer Pedestrian Overcrossing NEPA/CEQA Revalidation Form to add bus-on-shoulder
- Highway 1 Auxiliary Lanes – State Park Drive to Bay Avenue/Porter Street Notice of Preparation of a Draft EIR/EA and Notice of Scoping
- Highway 1 EIR Community Impact Assessment
- Soquel Drive Buffered Bicycle Lane and Congestion Mitigation Project Categorical Exemption
- Measure D Ordinance
- Measure D Ballot Information
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