Caltrans District 5 has awarded Granite Construction of Watsonville a $6 million emergency contract to clear, make repairs and restore sections of Highway 1, 9 and 236 in Santa Cruz County damaged by the CZU Lightning Complex Fire.
A damaged section of Highway 236 outside Boulder Creek. • Photo Courtesy of Caltrans
The damage includes hundreds of fallen and hazardous trees, a dozen locations of burned guardrail, numerous destroyed traffic signs and markers and the facing of a retaining wall.
Caltrans engineers and maintenance forces are still assessing damage and prioritizing areas while supporting emergency responders fighting the fire, which began Aug. 16, grew to 84,860 acres, destroyed 811 homes and 139 commercial buildings in Santa Cruz County and was 39% contained as of Aug. 31 with 2,431 personnel including 300 National Guard assigned to the task.
Caltrans declined to predict when roads will reopen.
- State Route 236 is inaccessible as it is within the closed area.
- Highway 1 is restricted to one lane at Shafer Road near the Santa Cruz/San Mateo County line.
- In Monterey County, Highway 1 is restricted to one lane from Willow Creek Vista Point to north of Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park due to the Dolan Fire.
Caltrans plans to provide regular updates on upcoming repairs and conditions. For info, residents may call District 5 Public Affairs at (805) 549-3318 or visit dot.ca.gov/caltrans-near-me/district-5