Graham Hill Road was a Highway 9 detour in February. (Nik Altenberg — Santa Cruz Local file)

Transportation commission leaders held online meetings Oct. 23 and 24 to gather input from residents of South County and North County, respectively. An online survey that closes Dec. 6 is also collecting information about collisions and ideas for upgrades.

“We are gathering information from the community on their areas of concern,” said Brianna Goodman, Rural Highway Safety Plan manager for the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission. “We are asking people to attend these meetings, fill out surveys, and let us know about crashes and near misses that they’ve witnessed.” 

The Rural Highway Safety Plan is expected to be developed in collaboration with Caltrans District 5, County of Santa Cruz planners, the Santa Cruz County Community Traffic Safety Coalition, Santa Cruz Metro, Pajaro Valley Unified School District, UC Santa Cruz, first responders, business and neighborhood associations and residents.   

“The intent is to achieve zero traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2050 with projects and strategies implemented through close partnerships with Caltrans,” according to a transportation commission website.

A map shows some reported crashes with deaths and severe injuries on undivided highways in Santa Cruz County from 2018 to 2022. (Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission)

Goodman said transportation authorities plan to analyze the data and input to form a list of proposed upgrades — especially at locations with frequent crashes. 

Residents describe highway problems

An online meeting Oct. 24 gathered about seven people to discuss problems on undivided highways in North County.

While community members along Highways 9, 129, and 35 expressed their concerns, none were as vocal as members of the Davenport North Coast Association.

“It’s pretty much every day that we see dangerous driving happening on Highway 1, and I’d say we hear sirens and see accidents almost every day,” said Davenport North Coast Association member Colin Hannon.

Hannon said he has seen questionable driving on Highway 1 nearly every day during his commute to Santa Cruz from Davenport, perhaps due to unfamiliarity with the road. 

“Visitors who might not be familiar with where there are pullouts and where people use them, so they might slow down unexpectedly on the highway. Then somebody driving recklessly and going 75 mph doesn’t see them and rear ends them,” Hannon said. 

Hannon said a good friend of his died in a collision on Highway 1. “I think it’s important to improve the safety and have fewer accidents than there are now,” Hannon said. 

Mike Eaton, another Davenport North Coast Association member, said Highway 1 needs safety improvements, especially for visitors. 

“The volume of visitation has overwhelmed the highway, creating unsafe situations for locals and visitors,” Eaton said. “So, as an organization, we are very encouraged to see the RTC study launch, and we’re eager to help them identify problematic areas that are a priority,” he said. Improvements should be made for pedestrians, he said.

Regional transportation officials said upgrades in the Rural Highway Safety Plan would happen no sooner than 2026. 

“Caltrans-led projects can take several years to move from planning to construction even when they are fully funded, and we would need to secure competitive funding first,” Goodman wrote in an email. “A locally-led project could be executed more quickly, but that is not guaranteed.” 

She added, “It would also depend heavily on how much funding the next federal administration decides to devote to the Safe Streets For All and Highway Safety Improvement Program roadway safety grant programs. A larger federal program makes it easier for more projects across the nation to get more funding.”

The Rural Highway Safety Plan aims to gather input this year and create a plan for transportation commissioners to consider in late 2025. (Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission)

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