Aptos Highway 1 Ramps at State Park Drive to Close for About Five Months Starting November 16

APTOS, Calif. — Drivers using the State Park Drive interchange on Highway 1 should prepare for two long-term ramp closures beginning Monday, November 16, 2026. Caltrans says the southbound Highway 1 off-ramp and the northbound Highway 1 on-ramp at State Park Drive will close for approximately five months while crews reconstruct the ramps.

Which ramps will close?

The closures affect southbound Highway 1 traffic exiting at State Park Drive and northbound Highway 1 traffic entering from State Park Drive. Caltrans has not announced that all interchange movements will be closed. Drivers should check current signs and conditions before choosing a route.

Detours for local drivers

For motorists seeking to enter northbound Highway 1 from State Park Drive, Caltrans directs traffic along State Park Drive to Searidge Road, then right onto McGregor Drive, using the northbound Highway 1 entrance at Park Avenue.

For southbound drivers who would normally exit at State Park Drive, the agency directs traffic farther south to the Rio Del Mar Boulevard exit. From there, drivers may use the northbound Rio Del Mar on-ramp to reach the State Park Drive exit from the opposite direction, or turn onto Soquel Drive and follow the posted detour back toward State Park Drive.

These detours may add time to school, work, shopping and beach-access trips in the Aptos area. Drivers should use posted signs rather than relying solely on an older navigation-app route.

Why the ramps are being rebuilt

The work is part of the Highway 1 project between Bay Avenue/Porter Street and State Park Drive, which includes auxiliary lanes and bus-on-shoulder improvements. Caltrans identifies Granite Construction of Watsonville as the contractor and cites a $78 million project cost in its October 26 announcement.

Schedule caveat: The same Caltrans announcement refers to a five-month closure beginning in November 2026 while also carrying an older project-completion estimate of fall 2026. Those dates are inconsistent. The agency’s specific ramp-closure notice is the basis for this report; a revised overall project completion date has not been independently confirmed.

Official updates

Check Caltrans QuickMap and the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission project page before traveling. This is a planned closure and may be modified.

Related local reporting: Aptos Seacliff State Beach access and recovery guide.

Primary source: Caltrans District 5, October 26, 2026 — State Park Drive ramp closures.

California58 Aptos transportation report, verified October 28, 2026. The announced five-month period is an estimate.

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