On Monday, November 16, two of the four ramps at the State Park Drive interchange close for about five months, according to the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission's construction update posted October 29. Both closed ramps serve trips to and from the Santa Cruz side. If you're driving to or from Watsonville, you use the interchange the same way you do now.
The split matters most for the few blocks right behind the exit. Seacliff's businesses are spread along State Park Drive, Center Avenue and Santa Cruz Avenue, with Seacliff State Beach at the bottom of the bluff. All of it stays open. This winter only the routes in and out change, and only on the Santa Cruz side.
Which Half of the Interchange Goes Dark
The RTC is rebuilding the ramps for the bus-on-shoulder facility, part of the auxiliary lane project on Highway 1. Here's how the four ramps sort out from November 16:
| Movement at State Park Drive | Status from Nov. 16 | Official route |
|---|---|---|
| Southbound offramp, arriving from the Santa Cruz side | Closed, approx. five months | Exit at Rio Del Mar Blvd. |
| Northbound onramp, heading toward Santa Cruz | Closed, approx. five months | State Park Dr. to Searidge Rd. to McGregor Dr., then the Park Ave. onramp |
| Northbound offramp, arriving from the Watsonville side | Open | No change |
| Southbound onramp, heading toward Watsonville | Open | No change |
The RTC gives two options for anyone coming home from Santa Cruz who would normally exit at State Park. After exiting at Rio Del Mar Boulevard, you can turn left onto the northbound Rio Del Mar onramp, ride one exit back and get off at the State Park offramp. Or you can turn left onto Soquel Drive and follow the detour signs back to State Park Drive. The first option works because the northbound offramp is one of the two ramps that stay open.
Heading toward Santa Cruz, the detour stays on local streets the whole way. You take State Park Drive to Searidge Road, turn right on McGregor Drive and get on the highway at Park Avenue. Message signs and directional signs will be posted ahead of the work zones, and the RTC asks drivers to allow extra time.
Three Ramps Down on One Stretch of Freeway
The State Park closure adds to two others already in place on the same section of Phase II, which runs from Bay Avenue/Porter Street to State Park Drive. That phase started in early 2024 and is expected to finish in 2027.
The southbound Park Avenue onramp has been closed since Sunday, April 19. It's scheduled for about nine months because that section needs a full structural replacement of the roadway. Its detours run south on either Soquel Drive or McGregor Drive to the southbound State Park Drive onramp. That onramp is one of the two staying open after November 16, so the Seacliff ramp keeps catching the Park Avenue overflow all winter.
The southbound Bay Avenue offramp closed on August 2 for about four months. Its detour sends drivers to the southbound Park Avenue offramp and back along Soquel Drive.
Put the three together and McGregor Drive becomes the main connector this winter. It carries the Park Avenue onramp detour heading toward State Park and the new northbound State Park detour heading toward Park Avenue. For anyone who lives between Park Avenue and State Park Drive, the closures change which way you leave your street more than how long the trip takes. The RTC posts construction updates weekly, and that page will show when each ramp reopens.
The Block at the Top of the Stairs
None of the closures touch the businesses themselves, and most of them are close enough together to walk between.
On State Park Drive, Marianne's Ice Cream at 218 and Sno-White Drive-In at 223 sit across the street from each other. Bay City News, in a Local News Matters feature this August, described choosing between them as the big decision on the Seacliff strip. Marianne's is an outpost of the Santa Cruz shop that started in 1947 and has a wide range of flavors. Sno-White is a 1950s-style burger joint known for soft cones and milkshakes. The same feature points out that you can climb the steps up from Seacliff State Beach and come out on State Park Drive, at the block-long stretch of stores and restaurants. If you're coming up from the sand on foot, the ramp closure doesn't affect you at all.
Around the corner on Center Avenue are the strip's oldest name and one of its newest:
- Manuel's Mexican Restaurant, which calls itself a local tradition since 1965 and takes reservations and takeout orders.
- Four Streams Noodles, at 257 Center Ave. next door to Manuel's, serves noodles and skewers. The Santa Cruz Sentinel reported its opening in December 2025, with hours of 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
Santa Cruz Avenue has two next-door neighbors:
- Castelli's Deli, 236 Santa Cruz Ave., Suite A, lists hours of 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily and takes orders for pickup.
- Seacliff Surf & Skate, 234A Santa Cruz Ave., held its grand opening in June, according to Lookout Santa Cruz. It carries surfboards, skateboards, apparel and accessories, and rents beach gear.
Up the hill, Ambrosia India Bistro is at 207 Sea Ridge Road, the same street the northbound detour takes. Its website has menu and ordering links.
So the detour does two things for the block. If you live north of the strip, your way out to the highway now runs past Ambrosia. If you're coming from Santa Cruz, you can loop through Rio Del Mar and come back on the open northbound offramp, which lets you off at State Park Drive near Marianne's and Sno-White.
The Beach Below Runs on Winter Hours
Seacliff State Beach is open for day use. The Resilient Seacliff FAQ lists the picnic tables, shade ramadas, grills, beach parking and visitor center as open. The promenade has been rerouted, and temporary barriers are still up in places. California State Parks lists hours of 8 a.m. to sunset and a $10 vehicle day-use fee. The fee is the same whether you come by the highway or by local streets. If you're walking down from the village, you skip it.
The SS Palo Alto, the cement ship, still sits offshore, but you can only see it from the beach. The pier that once reached it was removed in 2023, and State Parks lists the ship as closed to public access. Local News Matters describes it as a local landmark and a popular roost for shorebirds and marine mammals. The RV campground remains closed.
The park's longer-term plan is still in public review. State Parks and its partners held an open house on August 25 at New Brighton Middle School to gather comments on camping concepts. The Sentinel reported that the draft coastal facilities management plan is expected to come back for public input in winter or spring 2027. That means the next public meeting on Seacliff may happen while the State Park ramps are still closed.
Dates Between Now and the Holidays
With the Watsonville-side ramps staying open and local streets reaching Aptos Village, the season's nearby events are easy to get to:
- Saturday, November 14: The free La Selva Beach Holiday Fair runs 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the La Selva Beach Clubhouse, 314 Estrella Ave. Visit Santa Cruz County lists 50-plus craft vendors, a library book sale and food trucks. From Seacliff it's a southbound trip on the State Park onramp, which is still open.
- Monday, November 16: The State Park Drive ramp closures begin. It's also the deadline for Thanksgiving preorders by phone at Pino Alto Restaurant and Catering at Sesnon House, 6500 Soquel Drive, or sooner if they sell out, per the Sentinel.
- Friday, November 20, by 5 p.m.: The deadline for Companion Bakeshop's Thanksgiving pie orders. Its Aptos location is one of the pickup sites on November 24 and 25.
- Saturday, December 5: The Aptos Village Green Holiday Market and Tree Lighting takes place at 448 Granite Way, with craft vendors, Santa, music and performances, per Visit Santa Cruz County. From Seacliff, State Park Drive and Soquel Drive get you there without touching the highway.
The State Park Drive ramps are scheduled to be closed for about five months, which puts the reopening somewhere in spring. Until then, every trip toward Santa Cruz starts on Searidge Road.
At The Portola Group, we track projects like the Highway 1 work because they shape daily routines in our neighborhoods. If you live near State Park Drive and want to talk through how a construction season like this one affects your plans for your home, we're happy to sit down over a cone from Marianne's or Sno-White and start with a home valuation.
