Highway 1 ‘whale bridge’ reopens for public use
LIVE OAK — Santa Cruz County bicyclists can now ride among the whales, and a swimsuit won’t be necessary.
The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission, in partnership with Caltrans and the county, announced Wednesday that the bicycle and pedestrian Highway 1 overcrossing at Chanticleer Avenue — colloquially known as the “whale bridge” — is open for public use after years of construction.
“The opening of this bridge represents a major step forward in improving transportation safety, access, and equity in our community,” the commission’s Executive Director Sarah Christensen said in a media release. “This bridge provides a vital connection between people, neighborhoods, and opportunities.”
The lighted bridge, with fencing that is outfitted with arching metal silhouettes of whales, is 14 feet wide and provides a safe, dedicated passage over all six lanes of the highway for travelers that might otherwise use interchanges across 41st Avenue or Soquel Drive. Planners said active transportation users will now benefit from this new link that connects neighborhoods, schools, parks and community destinations that weren’t so easily accessible before.
The opening of the bridge also marks formal completion of the inaugural phase of the commission’s Watsonville-Santa Cruz Multimodal Corridor Program, which broke ground in 2023. The defining feature of the three-phase project is a combination system of auxiliary lanes and red bus-on-shoulder facilities meant to expedite route times for Santa Cruz Metro buses.
The auxiliary lanes established in the first phase from Soquel Drive to 41st Avenue opened to vehicle traffic in April, but the bus-only components won’t be put to use until 2026 when the second phase of the project, bookended by the Bay Avenue/Porter Street and State Park Drive exits, is expected to finish. Included within that segment is another bicycle and pedestrian bridge at Mar Vista Drive, as well as a complete restructuring of the Capitola Avenue bridge with improved alternative transit facilities.
The construction price tag for this first phase of the project was $34 million, according to the commission’s release, which came from a variety of sources including Measure D highway corridor investments, discretionary funds from the commission and competitive state grants. Watsonville-based Granite Construction served as the primary contractor for the project.
While the bridge will remain open to public use for the foreseeable future, the commission plans to hold an official ribbon cutting ceremony from 5:30-7 p.m. July 30 at the West Marine Center in Santa Cruz at 2450 17th Ave.