The California Highway Patrol closed north and southbound lanes of Highway 1 in Soquel Saturday at 7pm to make way for Granite Construction crews to demolish the 1948 Capitola Avenue bridge above the highway.
The closure and carefully crafted detour between Bay/Porter and Park Avenue clears the way for the bridge removal that is slated to last until 7pm Sunday.
The work is the second phase of the three-phase project to construct north and southbound auxiliary lanes and bus-on-shoulder improvements on Hwy 1 between the Bay Avenue and Porter Street and State Park Drive, said Kevin Drabinski, spokesperson for Caltrans .
Officers with the CHP began conducting traffic breaks on the highway several exits away from the bridge about 6:40pm to slow traffic and guide motorists onto the detours.
Completion