Hwy 9 Plan

Highway 9/San Lorenzo Valley Complete Streets

SLV Schools Access Study

The San Lorenzo Valley Schools Complex Circulation & Access Study (SLV Schools Access Study) seeks to improve access to the San Lorenzo Valley high school, middle school, and elementary school (SLV Schools Complex). The SLV Schools Access Study will build upon the 2019 Highway 9/San Lorenzo Valley Complete Streets Corridor Plan (SLV Plan) and aims to improve access by walking, bicycling, transit, and car. The study will also look to improve traffic flow along Highway 9 for non-school traffic.

On November 2nd & 3rd, feedback was solicited from the community on the draft design concepts for the SLV Schools Access Study. If you missed this opportunity to provide feedback to the project team, please see the slide deck and the presentation boards containing the draft concepts, as well as the summarized Q&A from the online event.

On this page:scene along Hwy 9

SLV Complete Streets Corridor Plan Implementation

  • Final SLV Plan: The final Highway 9/SLV Complete Streets Corridor Plan was received by the RTC at its June 27, 2019 meeting. The RTC updated the Highway 9/SLV Complete Streets Corridor Plan, integrating community input and comments that were received on the draft plan.
  • Implementation: The RTC is working in partnership with Caltrans, the County, Santa Cruz METRO and stakeholders to facilitate implementation of priority projects and concepts identified in the SLV plan. The RTC has requested that Caltrans implement near-term safety modifications along Highway 9 and to provide frequent progress updates.
    • In Summer 2019 County Public Works installed signage alerting pedestrians and bicyclists to the Fall Creek/Farmer St/Cooper St alternative route and the Clearview Pl/Farmer St/Cooper St route.
    • In November 2019 RTC authorized Measure D funding for $15k of pothole filling and other resurfacing on Farmer St to make it a better route for bikes/peds. Farmer St is a public bike/ped easement down a private road in need of maintenance.
    • In December 2020 Caltrans completed safety upgrades to five SLV crosswalks funded by an HSIP grant award to RTC, visit their project webpage for the latest updates.
  • Next Steps: Caltrans is working on three PIDs (Program Initiation Documents) which are the next step towards implementation of some of the proposed projects in the corridor.
    • 05-1M400 is a Safety PID for the segment between Kirby St and the 3-school campus in Felton and is funded by Caltrans, visit their project webpage for more updates.
    • 05-1M550 is a Complete Streets PID for all of the projects proposed in the SLV Plan on Caltrans property for the entire SLV project corridor funded by the RTC through Measure D.
      • The RTC used Measure D funds to leverage state grants to conduct the SLV Schools Campus Circulation and Access Study. The study kicked off in April 2022 and includes preliminary engineering, traffic analysis, and a feasibility and needs assessment for improving multimodal system performance on Highway 9 in Felton and within the SLV Schools Complex (SLV High, Middle, and Elementary Schools), as well as bicycle and walking facilities for students and other users to allow access between Ben Lomond neighborhoods on Glen Arbor Road in the north, the SLV Schools Complex, and Felton to the south.
      • Boulder Creek Complete Streets Improvements have been identified as a priority project eligible for federal infrastructure funds. The RTC is currently applying for multiple federal funding sources to design and construct new sidewalks, existing sidewalk updates, and improved crosswalks on Highway 9 in Boulder Creek as described in the SLV Plan, as well as other complete streets improvements.
    • 05-1K890 is a Capital Preventative Maintenance (CAPM) PID for repaving Highway 9 from Santa Cruz through Felton, which will incorporate many of the Complete Streets elements identified in the Hwy9/SLV Plan
  • Sign Up for SLV Plan implementation updates

SLV Plan Overview

RTC worked with the community to prepare a complete streets plan for Highway 9 and connecting county roads through San Lorenzo Valley (SLV). The SLV plan identifies, prioritizes, and will facilitate implementation of some of the most critical and cost-effective transportation projects in the corridor. This mountainous roadway serves as the “Main Street” and economic center for the towns of Felton, Ben Lomond, Brookdale, and Boulder Creek and as an interregional arterial connecting Silicon Valley and Santa Cruz. The plan focuses on safety for pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists; access to schools, businesses, and bus stops; traffic operations, pavement conditions, drainage and other needs in this important travel corridor. Highway 9 is owned by Caltrans, the state Department of Transportation.

[printable Fact Sheet]

SLV Corridor Plan

The Highway 9/San Lorenzo Valley Complete Streets Corridor Plan is available below.

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Why is this plan needed?

A comprehensive multimodal transportation needs assessment and evaluation of a range of options to address transportation challenges was needed to identify and prioritize transportation investments for this important corridor, especially since state, federal, and local revenues are severely constrained. This comprehensive plan for Highway 9 through San Lorenzo Valley:

  • Builds on past public input and planning activities
  • Documents existing conditions
  • Identifies infrastructure gaps
  • Answers questions about what can be done within Caltrans’ right-of-way
  • Provides data, evaluation, analysis, and public deliberation to make informed decisions
  • Prioritizes transportation projects that can be implemented in the short and mid-term to address transportation challenges on the corridor.Measure D logo
  • Measure D, which was approved by voters in November 2016, includes $10 million specifically earmarked for high priority transportation projects along the Highway 9 corridor.
    • The near-term budget for 2019-2021 includes $30,000 for crosswalks, $250,000 for preliminary scope and engineering of near-term projects, and $1,000,000 to initiate work and use as match for future grants for a pathway to the southern entrance of the SLV tri-school campus.

This corridor-specific plan will be a stepping stone to secure funding for priority investments and will provide a framework for partnering with Caltrans to implement investments that promote complete streets, implement sustainable communities strategies, and improve multi-modal access, connectivity, safety, security, system preservation, economic vitality and environmental quality. The SLV plan includes conceptual complete street designs and will be used to facilitate subsequent design, environmental review and construction of improvements.

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Public Outreach/Get Involved

Virtual Public Meeting to Provide Updates on Highway 9 Projects

Caltrans, in partnership with Supervisor Bruce McPherson’s office and the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission, hosted a virtual public meeting on April 28 to provide an update on two of the multiple implementation efforts currently underway for Highway 9 transportation projects. This meeting focused on the current status of the Project Initiation Document (PID) for Caltrans CAPM pavement project incorporating complete streets improvements in Felton, and the Measure D funded PID examining all remaining elements of the SLV Plan.

View the slides from the presentation here.

View the video presentation here:

The Highway 9/SLV Corridor Plan is a community-based plan. Building upon past public outreach efforts, the project team gathered input from hundreds of San Lorenzo Valley residents, businesses, community groups, parents and school administrators throughout development of the draft and final plan.

The final plan was updated based on comments received on the draft plan. Input that was received on the draft plan at the public hearing or via emails, letters, surveys, and at open houses are online here and summarized in Appendix D. Comments on the draft plan were due February 15, 2019.

Stay Involved! Community members are encouraged to stay involved and sign up to receive periodic updates on SLV plan implementation and projects in the corridor here: https://sccrtc.org/about/esubscriptions/, by emailing slvprogram@sccrtc.org, or by calling 831-460-3200.

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RTC Contact

Brianna Goodman
Transportation Planner
slvprogram@sccrtc.org
(831) 460-3200