One of the most dangerous intersections in Santa Cruz for cyclist crashes — Bay Street and Escalona Drive. (Jesse Kathan — Santa Cruz Local file)

SANTA CRUZ >>  One of the most dangerous intersections in Santa Cruz could soon get a redesign. Tuesday, the Santa Cruz City Council is set to consider two competing visions for changes to Bay Street and Escalona Drive.

The “quick-build” could be implemented by the end of summer and reversed if necessary. City staff are set to present two options for the intersection. Both designs would restrict vehicles on Escalona Drive to right turns only onto Bay Street. Left turns and through traffic would be blocked by medians. Cyclists and pedestrians would still be able to cross the intersection.

A rendering shows an initial design for an intersection change at Escalona Drive and Bay Street. (City of Santa Cruz)

An initial design considered by the city’s Transportation and Public Works Commission would restrict left turns from Bay Street onto Escalona Street. Following concerns raised by neighbors, staff estimated that the design could cause overflow traffic onto surrounding streets. A modified design retains the left-turn lane, and is recommended by city staff.

A modified design for the intersection recommended by city staff. (City of Santa Cruz)

State records document eight crashes at the intersection between 2020 and 2025, including three crashes that injured cyclists. State rankings place Santa Cruz as one of the worst cities for cyclist crashes. State rankings do not account for how much cyclist traffic a city has.

A separate project in summer 2027 could install medians on Bay Street to restrict left turns onto Anita and Toledo streets, in order to protect planned two-way bike lanes.

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