Renovations of Highway 17 in Santa Cruz, California, have been completed by Caltrans. The US$19 million overhauls were expected to upgrade the safety of over 6-miles of tarmac on the road. It was partially funded by Senate Bill 1. The bill, which is a funding source for state highway systems and local roads, contributed US$2 million to the project. Money and effort went toward the improvement of pavement and guardrails. The project also made lane markings more visible and expanded the shoulder along the road. Additionally, workers upgraded street and driveway intersections.
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“These upgrades will improve traffic safety and operations along this busy highway corridor,” Caltrans said in the release. The project took more than two years to complete since its beginning in January 2019. Work was mainly completed overnight to mitigate to impact on traffic between Santa Cruz and Santa Clara counties. “Through SB 1, we continue to make thousands of transportation improvements in the state – from fixing aging infrastructure to developing convenient, efficient, and accessible pedestrian, bike and transit options,” Caltrans Director Toks Omishakin said in a press release Tuesday. While a major project at one end of the highway has reached completion, workers continue to make improvements where Highway 17 meets Highway 1 in Santa Cruz.
The Fishhook at the junction of the two highways will remain under construction until the end of April, according to Caltrans Spokesman Kevin Drabinski. Crews are still completing the striping work for the junction and will need to return to other aspects of the project that “need correcting,” Drabinski said. This list is just a few smaller items crews will need to check off before the project is officially complete. They are usually identified after the main plan for the project is completed.