Parking lot at Panther/Yellowbank Beach near Davenport to close for six months – Santa Cruz Sentinel
DAVENPORT — An access to a popular beach on Santa Cruz’s north shore will be closed for several months to make way for a major transportation project, local transportation officials announced Tuesday.
According to a press release from the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission, an informal parking lot along Highway 1 at Panther/Yellowbank Beach will be closed on August 19 for an expected six months to allow for construction on the North Coast Rail Trail and related parking lot improvements to continue.
According to the commission, during the closure, vehicle and pedestrian access to the parking lot, located approximately 5 miles north of the Wilder Ranch State Park parking lot, will not be available from Highway 1 at that location and alternative access points will also be limited.
Changes are also expected for traffic along the motorway in the region.
The 7.5-mile project makes up the majority of Rail Trail Section 5 and is part of the 32-mile Coastal Rail Trail project that runs through the county. The project will create a multi-use bike and pedestrian trail along the Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line from Wilder Ranch State Park to Davenport in the north. In addition to trail construction, the project includes new paved parking lots at Panther/Yellowbank Beach, improved parking access at Bonny Doon Beach, and a pedestrian overpass on Highway 1 in Davenport.
More than a hundred people attended a groundbreaking ceremony for the project in June; it is expected to be completed by March 2026.
The Transportation Commission is leading the project but is working with several key partners, including the Federal Highway Administration’s Central Federal Lands Division, California State Parks and Santa Cruz County.
The $51.4 million project received $33.2 million in grants from the Federal Land Access Program and the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, and the California Coastal Conservancy contributed a total of $5.25 million. About $8 million came from the commission’s Measure D sales tax fund.
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