Recent street resurfacing around Scotts Valley—renovations taken on before the roadways totally devolved into pothole chaos—is in line with what former mayor Randy Johnson called “Pavement 101” back when he was on City Council.
The idea is that a dollar spent up front in proactive renovations saves you many more down the line, say if cracks extend down to the roadbed.
“We are on a schedule…many times, a 10-year schedule,” Johnson said back in 2021, as the City geared-up to seal fissures on Scotts Valley Drive using $75,000 in Measure D funds. “You know, the needs are many, but the funding is a little bit less.”
Then, on Sept. 18, 2024, Council voted to move ahead with design and construction of “Concept 1” for Scotts Valley drive. The City has promised “a balanced street design that improves safety and accessibility for all users.” Its layout includes maintaining two lanes of travel in each direction, with a center turn, while increasing bike lanes to seven feet wide.
Last Aug. 13, then-Councilmember and current Mayor Donna Lind provided an update: “We are putting your tax dollars to work wisely with funding from Measure D and state gas tax revenues,” she said in a blog post. “Expect nearly $2 million in improvements to be made to 13 lane miles of our most heavily traveled streets. This work is guided by our Pavement Management Plan, ensuring we tackle the highest-priority roads first. Expect to see everything from slurry seals to full dig-outs and overlays—work that will extend the life of our roads for years to come.”
Now, just weeks after thousands of residents turned out here for the Fourth of July parade, Scotts Valley Drive is sporting a glistening coat of bitumen and aggregate, one of several upgraded routes in the vicinity.
In a community like Scotts Valley, where few take the bus while classic and muscle car fans are many—and a passenger train seems like a remote possibility—these sorts of improvements speak volumes. And despite the inconveniences, locals are generally supportive of the taxdollar investment.
On July 20, the City announced on Facebook that construction crews would be continuing overnight slurry seal work along Scotts Valley Drive.
“Please help us protect the new roadway surface,” a spokesperson wrote. “Please do not walk on the fresh slurry. It can stick to shoes and be tracked into homes and businesses.”
Scotts Valley Police Department was tasked with enforcing construction closures and speed limits.
“We sincerely appreciate the patience, cooperation, and understanding of our residents, businesses, and visitors as we complete this important phase of the Scotts Valley Drive Improvements Project,” the City official wrote. “Your cooperation helps us deliver a safer, longer-lasting roadway for everyone.”
Scotts Valley resident Lori McCammon, 65, who is the dog mom of a 12-year-old Great Pyrenees named Ireland, said slurry seal can be a “nightmare for pet owners”—something she saw when the material was applied in her neighborhood once.
“It got all stuck in the pads,” she said, explaining how animal paws have a habit of finding their way into the black goo. “The only way to get it out was Dawn dish detergent.”
This territory is pretty familiar to McCammon, however. “My dad was a paving contractor,” she said.
In addition to the Scotts Valley Drive work, crews have also been reworking Mount Hermon Road near the entrance to Highway 17—and there were massive backups in recent weeks thanks to paving along Graham Hill Road.
“It’s never-ending,” she said. “There’s so much construction everywhere.”
In recent days, the roadwork has made it difficult to even access Scotts Valley, McCammon added.
“The frightening part is that sometimes I’ve been on the freeway and not been able to get off,” she said. “I don’t know why they couldn’t have done it late at night instead of rush hour.”
But she understands the need for the repairs.
“It’s beautiful,” she said of the final result. “You don’t want water penetrating under the asphalt.”
Mike Watts, from Aptos, said he wasn’t too bothered by the roadwork.
“It’s nice to have the upkeep,” he said, adding he did get stuck in a slowdown. “At least it’s not like Santa Cruz.”
Scotts Valley resident John Marlow, 60, knows it’ll be nice once it’s all over.
“It’s been a pain in the backside,” he said.
With plenty of new housing being built in the area, he says he expects more of the same sorts of traffic delays in the future.
“We might as well get used to it,” he said. “This is something we’ll have to deal with.”
Mark Novak, a Ben Lomond resident in his 50s, said Scotts Valley’s roads weren’t anywhere near as bad as some of the ones over the hill in Silicon Valley.
“Camden Avenue rings a bell,” he said, adding Fremont’s streets are pretty terrible, too.
He definitely noticed the road reno happening near Highway 17.
“That was decent work,” he said of the finished product. “It was a little inconvenient at the time.”
Athena Flannery, a Santa Cruz resident who works at Goodwill in Scotts Valley, said it was a bit scary driving in town without lines on the road.
“It’s nerve-wracking,” she said, recounting how she sometimes drives a fellow employee home after work. “We have dark humor, so we laugh about it.”
Maya Tal, another coworker, agreed that the painted lines are crucial—particularly when you get to the Highway 17 onramp.
“I almost hit the curbs like every time,” she said.
Flannery said there’s an additional fear that creeps up, too.
“I have been really concerned I was going to get pulled over,” she said. “Because Scotts Valley Police are known for being really keen.”
