Drive east over the Murray Street Bridge toward the harbor and the trip looks normal again. Make the return trip west and you are sent up 7th Avenue, over to Soquel and down Seabright before you get back to where you began. Out on West Cliff, a stretch of the path that once ran right along the bluff near Its Beach is set to be fenced off for good. Downtown, the School Street stairs between Mission Plaza and Pacific Avenue are fenced too, but only until a fixed date.
Most of the town is open this fall, but much of it is open only partway. Each change comes with its own direction, its own detour and its own end date, and those dates run from the middle of November 2026 to the summer of 2028. For daily trips, you need to know which way a route runs and until when. Whether it is technically "open" tells you much less.
Murray Street Bridge Reopened in One Direction Only
On Sept. 28, the City of Santa Cruz's Murray Street Bridge project page posted that the bridge was open to one lane of eastbound traffic. The seismic retrofit and barrier rail work is scheduled to last through January 2028. The city expects the one-way setup to stay in place for most of the remaining project. It has also scheduled two full closures, one week in February 2027 and two weeks at the end of 2027.
How you cross depends on how you're traveling:
- Driving east: One lane is open across the bridge.
- Driving west: Follow the detour via 7th Avenue, Soquel Avenue and Seabright Avenue. The city warns of longer travel times and more congestion along that route.
- Biking east: Cyclists may use the full lane.
- Biking west: Get off and walk the bike on the bridge sidewalk, or take the posted bike detour along 7th Avenue and Arana Gulch, then Broadway and Seabright.
- Walking: You can walk across the bridge. The East Harbor Access Road and the West Harbor stairs are closed, but the West Harbor Access Road is open.
The harbor closures each have their own detour. To reach the east side, go by Eaton Street, 7th Avenue and the Brommer Street entrance to the Upper Harbor. To replace the West Harbor stairs, go by Atlantic Avenue, Seabright Avenue and Murray Street. According to the city's schedule, the East Harbor Access Road reopens in February 2027 and the West Harbor stairs in May 2027. So this one bridge is tied to at least four different dates over the next 15 months.
West Cliff Is Moving Its Path, Not Closing the Road
The road on West Cliff is not closed. According to Lookout Santa Cruz, the full road was carrying two-way traffic again by the end of June 2025 after the storm repairs. This fall's work is about the multi-use path, and the city's approach is to pull the path back from the bluff instead of building it back in the same place.
The Santa Cruz Sentinel reported that on Aug. 26 the City Council approved moving two sections of the path. The first is at the end of Getchell Street, where part of the bluff gave way in early 2026 after the December 2025 storms. City staff told the council they expect the bluff to keep eroding. They described seawalls as expensive and hard to permit, and said moving the path back also keeps the project within its grant budget.
At Getchell, the curved section of path will be straightened, which removes eight perpendicular parking spaces. The city's project listing notes that a bench and a refuse bin will also be moved, and that parking across the road remains. Crews also plan to clear a large amount of invasive ice plant. While the work is underway, westbound drivers will loop around the site, going up Fair Avenue, across Wanzer Street and down Swift Street before rejoining West Cliff. In August, staff estimated the work would run October through December, with the detour lasting up to two months. The city's Public Works listing currently says construction is expected in late 2026 and gives no start date. Watch for posted signs before you plan a westbound drive.
The second section is near Lighthouse Field State Beach, above Its Beach. The Sentinel reported that the beach has narrowed in recent years and large waves now wash over the bluff onto the path more often. The temporary closure there will become permanent, with a low wooden fence, new landscaping and the memorial benches moved back from the edge. The city's listing describes the same work as removing the path segment closest to the seawall and improving the wider path along the road. Both path projects are on a fast track, with a target of finishing by the end of 2026.
At the same meeting, staff gave an update on the Lighthouse Point hazard study. So far it has found that the two sea caves under the point are not a significant hazard to the lighthouse or the paths. The caves are separated by 20 feet of bedrock and sit 40 feet from the lighthouse.
The larger roadway changes come later. The city lists a separate realignment at 800 West Cliff Drive, which shifts approximately 600 feet of roadway and path farther inland near Lighthouse Field, with construction scheduled for June through December 2027. The city's 2026 roadmap update estimates 2030 for completing revetment repairs. Fences going up this winter belong to the 2026 path work. Construction on the roadway changes is not scheduled to start until June 2027.
On the east side, the same Aug. 26 meeting approved a quick-build pilot at Bay Street and Escalona Drive. A median will stop through traffic crossing Bay Street on Escalona, but the left turn from Bay onto eastbound Escalona stays. The pilot also adds a speed feedback sign and rumble strips. It will run for at least six months, and the city plans to review the results early next year.
Downtown's Detours Have a Short Date and a Long One
Downtown has one short closure and one long one.
The short one is the School Street stairs between Mission Plaza and downtown. A city bulletin dated Oct. 2 says the stairs are closed through Nov. 17 for repairs and the installation of slip-resistant stair nosings.
The long one is the library and housing construction site at Cedar, Cathcart and Lincoln. The Sentinel's August update lists what's affected. Meters next to the site on Cathcart, Lincoln and Cedar are out of service, Lot 8 is partly closed for staging, and Lincoln Street between Cedar and Pacific closes off and on. Cedar and Cathcart are expected to stay open, with traffic control when needed. When finished, the project will include 124 very-low-income homes, a library of more than 41,000 square feet, childcare and about 240 parking spaces. Phase 1 is scheduled to finish by the end of 2027 and Phase 2 to start in spring 2027. The article text puts full completion in summer 2028.
The blocks around the fencing still have plenty of new businesses. In a Sept. 3 roundup, the Downtown Santa Cruz association counted 13 downtown openings so far in 2026. They are The Alley Oop, Anthropologie, Gran Gelato Cafe, Hand it Down, The Hotel, India Gourmet, Luna's Boriken Bites, Palmetto Superfoods, Portside Supply, Relic & Roots, RockSalt Pilates, Switch Bakery and UMe Tea. The same roundup announced The Burning Ember, a romance bookstore at 1128 Pacific Avenue, with a grand opening set for Oct. 30. Check with the shop before you go, since opening dates can change.
The Wharf Shows What a Finished Repair Looks Like
The Municipal Wharf is the one major project in town whose end date has already come and gone. The Sentinel's account of the reopening explains that the December 2024 failure took 180 feet off the end of the Wharf. The rest of the structure reopened 11 days later, and the repaired south end was celebrated on April 29, 2026. The repair work included demolishing the Dolphin Restaurant. The city's project page says uses for the rebuilt end have not been decided yet and that public input is planned.
For now, the Wharf has a full events calendar. The city's 13 Days of Halloween on the Wharf runs Oct. 19 through Oct. 31. Participating businesses include Bonnie's Gifts, Surf City Surf Shop, Noland's, Marini's Candies, Socksmith, Stagnaro Bros. and Vino by the Sea. If you're driving west from the Eastside, add the Murray Street detour to your trip time.
The Dates to Keep, in Order
- Through Oct. 31: 13 Days of Halloween on the Wharf.
- Oct. 30: Scheduled grand opening of The Burning Ember at 1128 Pacific Avenue.
- Through Nov. 17: School Street stairs closed.
- Late 2026: West Cliff path work at Getchell Street, with the Fair–Wanzer–Swift westbound detour for up to two months, and the permanent path closure near Its Beach. Both are targeted to finish by year's end.
- Early 2027: City review of the Bay Street and Escalona pilot.
- February 2027: One-week full closure of the Murray Street Bridge. The East Harbor Access Road reopens.
- May 2027: West Harbor stairs reopen.
- June to December 2027: Roadway realignment at 800 West Cliff Drive.
- End of 2027: Two-week full closure of the Murray Street Bridge, and the target for finishing Phase 1 of the downtown library and housing project.
- January 2028: Murray Street Bridge work scheduled to end.
- Summer 2028: Downtown library and housing project scheduled to be complete.
Changes to a city's roads and paths can matter for property too. A path set back from the bluff, eight parking spaces removed on a block, or a one-way bridge on the way home can each affect how a home is used, rented or priced. If you own on the Westside, the Eastside or near downtown and want to know how this season's projects might affect your property, Breakwater Properties can walk you through it. Request a Home Valuation and we'll look at your address with these dates in mind.
