Before the year ends, the City of Santa Cruz plans to move two short pieces of the West Cliff Drive path back from the ocean. One is across from Getchell Street and the other is near Its Beach. A third, much larger piece follows in 2027, when about 600 feet of the road itself moves into Lighthouse Field. Each change is small on its own. Taken together, they show the approach Santa Cruz has chosen for West Cliff as the bluff wears away. The city is moving the path and the road back from the edge, a little at a time, and leaving the coastline as it is.
The city's own staff put it plainly. "Generally speaking, we're pushing everything as far back as we can within reason from the coastline," Kevin Crossley, assistant director of public works, told Lookout Santa Cruz in July. Here is what that means, stop by stop, for anyone who walks, runs or rides this stretch every week.
Across from Getchell, the path loses its curve
The Getchell segment started with a slab of bluff. On Friday, January 2, 2026, after the December storms, a small piece of bluff across from Getchell Street fell into the ocean during exceptionally high water. The Santa Cruz Sentinel reported that it broke off only feet from the paved path. No one was hurt, and when city staff responded the next day, crews put up barricades and caution tape.
City staff told the council the bluff will keep eroding. On August 25, the Santa Cruz City Council approved moving the path. The Sentinel's coverage of that meeting gave the reasons from city staff. Seawalls are expensive and hard to get permits for, and moving the path keeps the project within its grant budget.
The finished path will be straighter. According to the city's Public Works project page, the path will move away from the eroding edge and run next to the roadway. A bench and a trash bin will be relocated, and the eight perpendicular parking spaces at that spot will be removed. Street parking stays available on the other side of the road. The city also plans to clear much of the invasive ice plant there.
The detour runs through Fair, Wanzer and Swift
People driving will notice the Getchell work before walkers do. The city's August 20 bulletin says construction should take about two months. During that time, westbound cars on West Cliff will detour up Fair Avenue, across Wanzer Street and down Swift Street, then rejoin West Cliff past the work zone. The Sentinel reported a work window of October through December, with the detour in place for up to two months.
The work does not have a set start date yet. The city put the project out to bid on September 4, with bids due September 24. In mid-October, the city's procurement portal still listed the project as pending, with no contractor named. The Public Works page still says construction is "anticipated in late 2026." If you use Fair, Wanzer or Swift to get to the coast, watch for a city traffic notice with actual dates.
At Its Beach, the closed stretch stays closed
The second segment is near Lighthouse Field State Beach, where the path looks down on Its Beach. The Sentinel reported that the beach has narrowed in recent years, and large waves now wash over the bluff and onto the path more often. The barricaded section there will become a permanent closure. The city will put up a low wooden fence, add landscaping and move the memorial benches back from the edge.
The project page describes the overall plan near Lighthouse Point. The city will remove the path closest to the seawall and improve the wider path next to the roadway, with new fencing, native drought-tolerant plants, and relocated benches and monuments. The city expects only minor pedestrian detours during construction. Both path projects together cost about $497,000, paid for by a California Natural Resources Agency grant, and the city plans to fast-track them so they're finished by the end of 2026.
Three segments, one direction
| Segment | What moves | Cost | Timing | Status in mid-October 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Across from Getchell Street | Path moves next to the roadway; 8 perpendicular parking spaces removed | Shared ~$497,000 grant | Oct.–Dec. 2026 window | Bid closed Sept. 24; listed as pending |
| Lighthouse Field / Its Beach | Seaward path closed for good; benches moved back | Shared ~$497,000 grant | Target end of 2026 | Same bid package |
| 800 West Cliff, east of Columbia Street | ~600 ft of road moves ~60 ft inland; path moves ~30 ft | ~$1.8 million | City lists June–Dec. 2027 | Waiting on Coastal Commission permit |
The first two rows are short fixes paid for by a grant. The third row is the project the first two point toward.
The lighthouse stays where it is
This fall's update also brought some reassuring news about Lighthouse Point. At the August meeting, city staff shared early results from the Lighthouse Point hazard study. The sea caves under the point do not pose a significant hazard to the lighthouse, the paths or other infrastructure. The two caves have 20 feet of bedrock between them and sit 40 feet from the lighthouse.
The city's 2026 Roadmap update describes it as a 12-month study costing $387,032, though the Public Works page lists $350,000. The Roadmap also says the study does not propose any construction or physical changes. For now, the West Cliff changes at Lighthouse Point are limited to the path work described above.
2027 is the bigger move, into Lighthouse Field
The 800 West Cliff Drive Road Realignment is the same idea on a larger scale. Starting at Columbia Street and running east past the parking area across from Lighthouse Field State Beach, about 600 feet of road will shift roughly 60 feet inland. The path will move about 30 feet. Lookout reported that part of the path there had already crumbled and had been surrounded by orange barriers for months. The $1.8 million project also includes drainage upgrades, fencing and new plantings, and the city will remove the old road and path from the erosion zone.
Moving the road inland means using land that is now part of the park. The city is working with California State Parks to acquire the Lighthouse Field land it needs. Crossley described the tradeoff to Lookout:
"We're having to encroach in open space that's currently a park. As the coastline continues to erode, we'll have to wrestle with those trade-offs, whether they're at this scale or something smaller."
Crossley also told Lookout that the money comes from a Caltrans permanent repair program. Most disaster funding only allows the city to rebuild what was there before. This program allows a more careful redesign meant to be a permanent fix. He also said the plan calls for native plants where invasive ice plant now grows, and that the road will not fully close during construction.
The 2027 start date depends on a permit that hasn't been approved yet. In July, the city expected the California Coastal Commission to approve one combined permit in October. That permit would cover the emergency work done in 2024 and 2025 plus the 2027 project. The Commission met in Oceanside on October 7 through 9, and the published agenda had no West Cliff item. The city lists construction for June through December 2027. Lookout's July report described a plan to seek bids over the winter and start work in spring. The city told Lookout it would share detour details at the neighborhood level once a contractor is hired.
What this fall's walk looks like
West Cliff reopened to two-way traffic in June 2025 after the 2023 storm repairs. Here's what to expect at each spot this season:
- Across from Getchell Street: barricades near the January break. Work is expected sometime between October and December, along with the westbound detour through Fair, Wanzer and Swift.
- Its Beach overlook: the fenced-off seaward path stays closed for good, and the memorial benches move back from the bluff.
- Lighthouse Point: open, with the study's early findings showing the sea caves are not a significant hazard.
- Columbia Street to the Lighthouse Field parking area: the crumbled path section stays behind barriers until the 2027 move.
The next step is citywide. Under Resilient Coast Santa Cruz 2.0, the city is drafting a shoreline adaptation plan for West Cliff, Main and Cowell beaches, and East Cliff. The plan identifies projects and costs for the next 20 to 30 years, and recommendations are expected at City Council this fall. That plan will show how far the approach used at Getchell and Lighthouse Field extends along the rest of the coast.
We follow West Cliff closely because the route is part of why people love living on the Westside. When we film a home near the path, the route itself is part of the story we tell. If you own a coastal home a few blocks from West Cliff and want to see how its location reads to today's buyers, the Lyng-Vidrine Team can show you how much your coastal home can sell for.
