SANTA CRUZ COUNTY -- The final environmental document for the Highway 1 Soquel Avenue to Morrissey Boulevard Auxiliary Lanes Project has been signed and is now available, California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) officials announced today.
This Initial Study with Mitigated Negative Declaration/Environmental Assessment with a Finding of No Significant Impact examines the environmental impacts of the project and responds to the comments and questions received during the public circulation period of the draft environmental document. Responses to public comments made at the public hearing, held on October 29, 2008 at the County Government Building in Santa Cruz, are also included in the final document.
The project proposes to add auxiliary lanes to Highway 1 between Soquel Avenue and Morrissey Boulevard, for a distance of nearly one mile. Auxiliary lanes connect an on-ramp with the next off-ramp. The project would replace the La Fonda Avenue overcrossing with a wider sidewalk and new bike lanes. The project would also provide sidewalk improvements at Rooney Street and Morrissey Boulevard west of Pacheco Avenue. The project would also install a raised crosswalk at the south end of the La Fonda Avenue bridge, near the entrance to Harbor High School.
Benefits of the project include:
- Improved traffic conditions for lane changes and merges on Highway 1 within the project limits
- Improved travel speeds in year 2015
- Improved access for the Highway 17 Express bus service to its current end point at the Soquel Park and Ride Lot, by extending the merge lane on southbound Highway 1 all the way to Soquel Avenue requiring no merging with mainline through traffic to reach this Lot
- Improved access for Emergency service vehicles, that would likewise be able to travel from Highway 17 to the Soquel Avenue off-ramp without merging with mainline through traffic
- Improved bicycle access and safety across the highway
The approval of this final environmental document means that the lead agencies (Caltrans and Federal Highway Administration) in cooperation with Santa Cruz Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) plan to move forward with the project's build alternative, as modified by public and agency comments. Construction is expected to begin by spring 2011.
The final environmental document and all supporting technical studies are available at:
- Santa Cruz County Libraries:
- Central Library, 224 Church Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
- Branciforte Library, 230 Gault Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95062
- Live Oak Library, 2380 Portola Drive, Santa Cruz, CA 95062
- Caltrans District 5, 50 Higuera Street, San Luis Obispo, CA
- Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission office at 1523 Pacific Avenue, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
- Online at www.dot.ca.gov/dist05/projects/soquel/index.htm
The next steps will be:
- outreach efforts with the community about visual aesthetics
- completion of final design
- acquisition of temporary construction easements
- approval of the biological mitigation
- relocation of utilities
- construction over a 2-year period (2011 - 2013)
