Storm damage on Santa Cruz road so severe it may be closed entirely
SANTA CRUZ - Communities up and down the coast in Santa Cruz County are scrambling to assess the damage from recent storms and draft repair plans ahead of President Biden's scheduled visit to the central coast Thursday.
"This is the worst. I've seen land lost, boulders put in. But we really haven't seen this much damage," says Santa Cruz resident Laura Burnett during her daily walk along West Cliff Drive.
Burnett who's lived in the area for 15 years says she awestruck by the large chunk the ocean has clawed out of West Cliff. But she's also questioning the wisdom of making costly repairs to an area that will forever be at the mercy of Mother Nature.
"There is a point in time like right now where the repair costs would be astronomical," she said.
The city estimate the repairs to the recent storm damage will likely cost at minimum five-million and perhaps as much as 10-million. There is a long-term plan being considered to convert West Cliff into a one-way street with an additional lane for walking and biking.
"There are ideas being thrown around about making this one way. And they would have a little bit more of a buffer. This is extremely expensive real estate so they're going to keep this road here," says neighbor Kenny Kay.
West Cliff is just one area trying to figure the cost and time required to make repairs. The Capitola Wharf remains a wrecked ruin. A large section was sliced off by pounding surf, making it impossible to reach the businesses beyond the rupture.
"It's absolutely terrible. I can't believe it. I mean for a thing to last for that long and then suddenly to go, it really makes you wonder about the weather. What's going on?" says Capitola resident Roger Deran.
