Boulder Creek Street Improvements Move Closer to Reality
A long-planned effort to make Highway 9 safer and more walkable through Boulder Creek is advancing, with environmental review now underway and construction targeted for 2028, according to the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission. District 5 Supervisor Monica Martinez, Regional Transportation Director Sarah Cristiansen, and Congressman Jimmy Panetta have announced Community Project Funding the Congressman was able to secure from the Department of Housing and Urban Development for the Boulder Creek Complete Streets Improvements Project.
The Boulder Creek Complete Streets project would bring significant safety and accessibility upgrades to Highway 9 and Highway 236 through the heart of Boulder Creek, a stretch of road that doubles as the community’s main street. The improvements would include new and repaired sidewalks, bike lanes, crosswalk bulb-outs, center median islands, and better bus stops — changes planners say are long overdue for a corridor with a troubling safety record.
A Road That Works Hard — and Shows It
Highway 9 is the lifeline of the San Lorenzo Valley, connecting the communities of Felton, Ben Lomond, Brookdale, and Boulder Creek while also serving as a regional route between Santa Cruz and Silicon Valley. But the road’s geography works against it. Narrow lanes wind through steep mountain terrain, bicycle and pedestrian facilities are sparse or missing altogether, and many bus stops lack any walkway access. Collision rates are high, and several choke points back up traffic regularly. Pavement, drainage infrastructure, and other assets are described by the RTC as being in disrepair.
The Complete Streets project is designed to address many of those problems at once, with a focus on making the commercial area of Boulder Creek safer and more accessible for people on foot, on bikes, and on buses — not just those in cars.
What Would Be Built
The project proposes a package of improvements that includes filling sidewalk gaps and extending the network through Boulder Creek’s commercial district, new curb extensions at crosswalks to shorten pedestrian crossing distances, center median islands to slow traffic and improve turn movements, dedicated bike lanes and shoulders, upgraded transit stops, and new pedestrian lighting and signage. A project map (see below) identifies five improvement zones spread across the Boulder Creek area, with changes concentrated along the Highway 9 corridor near downtown and the local elementary school.
Where Things Stand
The project completed its initial planning phase — known as the Project Initiation Document — back in 2022. The environmental review phase launched in June 2025 and is expected to wrap up by December 2026. If that timeline holds and funding comes together, construction could begin in 2028.
Funding remains the project’s biggest hurdle. The estimated cost is $10.8 million. So far, $1.5 million has been secured through a federal earmark, and Measure D — the Santa Cruz County sales tax measure dedicated to transportation improvements — will contribute $2.4 million as a local match. That leaves $6.9 million still to be raised through a combination of state programs, safety and active transportation grants, and other sources. The RTC and Caltrans, which is leading project delivery, plan to use the secured funding to compete for those additional dollars.
What You Can Do
Community members who want to stay informed or weigh in on the project can contact the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission at (831) 460-3200 or visit www.sccrtc.org. Public input is typically welcomed during the environmental review phase, which is currently underway — making this a key window for residents to make their voices heard before the project design is finalized.
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