Santa Cruz County road damaged by storms to reopen soon

Valencia Road in Santa Cruz County is expected to reopen on August 7th after being damaged by winter storms.

The four million dollar project started in May when storms closed the road. A large culvert failed and the road sank. The closure has been difficult for students at Valencia Elementary School as parents were forced to move their kids to other schools.

It’s part of the reason the county has put the project at the top of a list of 180 other projects.

“This is a priority because Valencia Elementary School opens in the third week in August so we really wanted to get that open by that day for sure,” said Jason Hoppin, Communications Manager with Santa Cruz County.

People living near the road say the reopening has been a long time coming and they’re grateful things will soon be returning to normal.

Crews will continue their work into the evenings, but they are making good progress.