A major project to repair a portion of Highway 9 between Felton and Santa Cruz is ahead of schedule.
Caltrans announced this week that Highway 9 could reopen in six weeks, around the middle of September — weeks ahead of the October target for completion.
“We’re doing really well,” Caltrans spokeswoman Susana Cruz said. “We have a really good contractor.”
The $500,000 repair project, done by Gordon N. Ball Inc. of Alamo, is half complete.
Caltrans closed the roadway in June to repair a major slip-out from 2006. A full road closure was necessary to ensure safety around the large machinery on the narrow, two-lane road.
“The safest and quickest way to fix the road is to close it,” Cruz said.
Caltrans weighed the summer and fall traffic patterns and the warm summer weather, ideal for construction, in making the determination.
Some local entrepreneurs voiced worries that the closure has hurt the tourism business in downtown Felton, so the Felton Business Association has taken steps to increase visibility for shops on Highway 9 on the south side of Felton.
The association asked Caltrans for help, and Caltrans installed a large changeable-message sign on Graham Hill Road that points people toward downtown Felton.
“Caltrans agreed to put up the sign to encourage local business,” association president Judy Anderson said.
Anderson said people who live in the valley know Highway 9 is open in Felton, but tourists might not, so the sign will help them. The large sign might prove especially important as the annual Race Thru the Redwoods takes place Aug. 15 in Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park. People coming from out of town for the race will have to use the detours to get to the start and finish lines.
Anderson said the association had considered hanging a banner across the road, but it would cost $650 with a $250 installation fee, and she has been pleased with the numerous signs Caltrans has installed.
“I think they have gone out of their way to do what they can do,” Anderson said. “But it’s all with how you ask them.”
Cruz hopes the new electronic sign will draw business into Felton.
“Sometimes it’s good to put up a lot of signs, but people don’t always read them,” she said. “Business owners said they were losing business, and we were able to get changeable-message sign. We always try to work with the community.”
