SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KGO) — After being closed for greater than two years, an iconic stretch of Santa Cruz is open as soon as once more.
That is what West Cliff Drive appeared like after the 2023 January storms; 120 ft of pathway was destroyed, and the street was eroded in a number of locations.
Jamie Lamb lives straight throughout from West Cliff.
“So the bridge was knocked out by waves and that precipitated them to shut West Cliff after which they put in a brand new seawall,” Lamb mentioned.
We requested his ideas on how nicely the infrastructure repairs will climate future excessive storms.
“I do not know – I would say 80% assured, not full confidence no,” Lamb mentioned.
We spoke with Santa Cruz resident Al Ramadan – he is one of many co-founders for a gaggle that fashioned known as “Save West Cliff.”
MORE: What’s the timeline for repairs to the partially collapsed Santa Cruz Wharf?
He mentioned with neighborhood enter, town accredited a 50-year imaginative and prescient of West Cliff that focuses on creating long run local weather resilient options.
“And sea-level rise, the rise in these bomb cyclones that is going to be coming increasingly more. And so the query I feel many people have is there a solution to disarm these swells earlier than they get to the cliff,” Ramadan mentioned.
Ramadan talked about one are being mentioned.
“There is a dialog about synthetic reefs which is occurring all around the east coast they put these barrier islands in or synthetic reefs to cease the swell or the surge from the storms,” Ramadan mentioned.
One of the notable impacts of storm injury was when the top of the Santa Cruz Wharf collapsed into the ocean in December of 2024.
VIDEO: Storm injury: This is before-and-after take a look at hardest-hit areas in Capitola, Santa Cruz
One of many hardest-hit areas from the devastating bomb cyclone was the Santa Cruz County shoreline. This is a earlier than and after take a look at the area.
On Tuesday, the Metropolis Council accredited $1.5 million for repairs.
ABC7 Information spoke with Tony Elliot, director of Parks & Recreation.
“So the enhancements that we’re making will strengthen the wharf, it is going to make it local weather resilient, it is going to proceed to spend money on, in some ways the unique engineering that has served the wharf nicely for 110 years,” Elliot mentioned.
Development is ready to start in November so it may be accomplished by March of 2026.
“To begin with, building will not affect public entry. So the wharf will stay open throughout building,” Elliot mentioned.
Again at West Cliff, residents are comfortable to see it again open.
On Friday, town is internet hosting a ribbon reducing to rejoice the completion of the mission.
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