By Jon Chown
The City of Capitola has nixed major changes along Bay Avenue and will not go forward with plan to put roundabouts in the city’s busy corridor.
The decision to not move forward with roundabouts was made at the May 14 City Council meeting, despite a report presented to the City Council by city staff and consultants that supported roundabouts at two key intersections after more than a year of study, public outreach and traffic analysis.
The Bay Avenue Corridor Project focuses on improving traffic flow between Highway 1, neighborhoods, schools, shopping areas, senior housing and Capitola Village.
City leaders first selected the roundabout approach in February 2025. Since then, staff members have met with businesses, property owners, residents and community groups to refine the plan. The proposal included building single-lane roundabouts at Bay Avenue and Hill Street, and at Bay Avenue and Capitola Road. The project would have also added a mid-block pedestrian crossing near Center Street, and upgraded lighting and pavement marking.
That was tossed aside, however, after public outcry over the roundabouts. “I have lived in Capitola for over 50 years and have walked through that intersection almost every day for the last 20 years. The suggested roundabout is not going to solve the hazard to pedestrians. The only solution is signal lights,” wrote Ron Compton to the City Council, one of dozens of letters opposing the plan.
According to the city report, roundabouts were chosen over traditional traffic signals because studies showed they would improve traffic operations, reduce delays and provide safety benefits. As an example, staff pointed to a recently completed project just 30 miles south in the city of Marina where four roundabouts were installed, two of them close to the busy intersection of Imjin Parkway and Reservation Road, where motorists traveling between Salinas and the Monterey Bay would often be backed up during commute times.
“Accidents have dropped dramatically. Serious accidents are about zero,” Marina City Manager Layne Long said of the project. “We love those two roundabouts. They have totally changed the dynamics of that road.”
According to the report, Bay Avenue’s traffic problems are tied to how busy Highway 1 is, meaning congestion is expected to continue when traffic is thick on the highway, regardless of the final design. So, instead of eliminating traffic backups, the project was intended to make travel safer and more predictable.
“Improvements such as reduced conflict points, clearer pedestrian crossings, and traffic calming may improve corridor function, even where congestion remains during peak periods,” the report stated.
But most of the public comments were against the project. “This might not be a big deal for a NASCAR driver, but for average folks like us, it is stressful and potentially dangerous,” said the 47-year resident of Capitola.
The project follows controversy over an earlier “quick-build” traffic experiment at Bay Avenue and Hill Street that used temporary striping changes and lane reductions. After complaints from residents and businesses about congestion and access problems, the council directed staff in September 2025 to remove the temporary setup.
City officials stressed in the new report that the proposed roundabouts were different from the earlier pilot project because they would involve fully engineered, permanent intersection reconstruction based on detailed traffic studies.
The city held more than 10 outreach meetings with businesses, property owners and senior housing residents, along with public meetings and online comment opportunities. According to the report, many residents supported safer crossings, lower vehicle speeds and long-term investment in Bay Avenue. Others raised concerns about congestion, construction impacts and access to local businesses. There was, however, major opposition to roundabouts and it never ceased.
During comments, Council Member Melinda Orbach reminded residents and her fellow council members what the initial goals were.
“Data should inform the essence of our decisions,” she said. “We dedicated staff time, we dedicated funding, $75,000 of it … and voted unanimously in February to move forward with roundabouts because they are the most optimal solution for safety and operations. The data shows this.”
Council Member Joe Clarke said that due to the public’s response, it was time to take roundabouts off the table. “We can still work on making it safer with lighting,” he said.
Council Member Susan Westman made a motion to nix the idea of roundabouts, which passed.
Another major part of the project involves undergrounding overhead utilities near Capitola Road through the Rule 20A program.
The city currently has about $3 million in Rule 20A credits available for underground utility work. Because the statewide program stopped issuing new allocations after 2022, officials said Bay Avenue may be the city’s last chance to use the funding source.
The report warned that delaying corridor improvements could increase future costs because roadway restoration and utility easements may need to be handled separately later.
The city has already secured $500,000 in Regional Transportation Improvement Program funding and another $250,000 in Federal Highway Infrastructure Project funding that can help support design work, right-of-way activities and future construction.
Officials said advancing the project now could improve Capitola’s chances of receiving additional state and federal grants in the future. The council put off, for now, a decision on how to proceed with that.
TOP PHOTO: Traffic flows through a roundabout in Marina on May 20.