The Murray Street Bridge Reopened Facing Away From Lower Seabright

On Monday, Sept. 28, the City of Santa Cruz reopened the Murray Street Bridge to one lane of eastbound traffic. The bridge had been fully closed since June 10. Westbound drivers still take the detour along 7th Avenue, Soquel Avenue and Seabright Avenue. Eastbound means leaving Seabright. If you live on the Eastside or in Twin Lakes and want to reach Lower Seabright or the west side of the harbor, the trip is just as long as it was in August.

That one direction matters most for the small businesses on Seabright Avenue and around the harbor. It also explains why the Santa Cruz Port District's fall calendar matters more this year than it usually would.

Which way the open lane points, and why that matters

Before construction, more than 17,000 cars crossed the Murray Street Bridge on a typical weekday, according to the Santa Cruz Sentinel. This is the second time the bridge has come back as a one-way crossing. The first full closure ran from late June 2025 to late January 2026. Business owners said that closure nearly cut off local traffic to the harbor and Lower Seabright. The Sentinel reported that stores and restaurants recovered "only partially" when the eastbound lane reopened in January.

The same Sentinel story, published May 22 before the summer closure, explains why some businesses hold up better than others. Patrice Boyle, who owns La Posta Restaurant on Seabright Avenue, said customers will make the long detour because La Posta takes reservations and people plan the trip. She said she hadn't lost as much business as some of her neighbors. Coffee shops, bars and corner stores like Day's Market are different. They rely on people stopping in because they're already in the area. Without traffic coming from the east side of the bridge, the Sentinel reported, many commuters skip the Seabright neighborhood altogether.

Boyle described Lower Seabright during the 2025 full closure as "practically a ghost town." Karen Madura, owner of Brady's Yacht Club, said she was "sad and resigned" about facing another closure "right here as summer begins." Michael Spadafora, who owns the Java Junction shops on Seabright Avenue and at the harbor, said the Seabright location couldn't survive another summer like 2025. Laurie Negro said Betty Burgers on Seabright was likely to lose money this year, and that her Aptos and Capitola locations would carry it.

"I don't know how some of the businesses will stay alive, stay open." Laurie Negro, owner of Betty Burgers, to the Santa Cruz Sentinel in May

Those comments came before the summer closure. As of early October, no local outlet has reported how sales have gone since Sept. 28. The open lane brings back the trip out of Seabright. The drop-in westbound traffic owners described losing in May is still on the detour.

Crossing this fall, depending on how you travel

The City updated its access details on Sept. 28.

• Driving east: One lane is open across the bridge.
• Driving west: Take the detour via 7th Avenue, Soquel Avenue and Seabright Avenue. The City expects longer travel times and more congestion on nearby streets, especially along the westbound route.
• Biking east: You can use the full travel lane.
• Biking west: Walk your bike along the bridge sidewalk, or take the bike detour via 7th Avenue, Arana Gulch/Broadway and Seabright Avenue.
• Walking: The bridge is open to pedestrians, and the West Harbor Access Road under the bridge is open. The East Harbor Access Road under the bridge is closed, and so are the West Harbor stairs from Murray Street down to the lower west harbor. The detour for the East Harbor Access Road uses Eaton Street, 7th Avenue and the Brommer Street entrance to the Upper Harbor. The detour for the stairs uses Atlantic Avenue, Seabright Avenue and Murray Street.

For a walker, the closed stairs make the biggest difference. A quick drop from Murray Street to the lower west harbor now means walking around by Atlantic Avenue.

What's still ahead on the bridge schedule

The summer closure was timed to the project's permitted in-water work window, the only time pile driving and pile cap work is allowed. With that work done, crews can work above the water line without the large crane that required closing the whole bridge. The project also put in a new sanitary sewer force main on the north side of the bridge. The City says the force main keeps wastewater service reliable for about 35,000 residents in Santa Cruz and surrounding communities.

What happens next, according to the City's project page:

The City says these dates may change and that it will give advance notice before each closure. When it's finished, the bridge will have seismic upgrades, new traffic barriers, wider bike lanes and a two-way pedestrian path. Until then, the westbound detour stays in place for more than a year.

How one harbor business worked around the detour

H&H Fresh Fish expected the detour before the summer closure started. In a June 2 KSBW report, owner Hans Haveman said the market couldn't take another 50% drop in sales like the one it had during the previous shutdown. H&H was getting ready to open a second location on the Westside at 402 Ingalls St. so customers wouldn't have to drive around the harbor.

"It really takes an extra 20 minutes, to go all the way around, 30 minutes. And that's not even during rush hour." Hans Haveman, owner of H&H Fresh Fish, to KSBW

H&H West soft-launched June 10 in Suite 15 at 402 Ingalls St., the same day the bridge closed. Later that month, CEO Heidi Rhodes told the Sentinel the welcome had been "overwhelmingly great." She also said loyal customers were still coming to the harbor shop despite the access problems. H&H's website lists both the Harbor and Westside shops with hours. H&H was able to open a second shop on the side of town the detour was keeping away. A one-location corner store or coffee counter can't do that, which brings it back to the drop-in traffic the open lane doesn't return.

Some residents kept making the trip during the summer. "I've been trying to keep in mind that the businesses need our business to stay open," Colleen Young told KSBW in June. She said she was still visiting the same businesses and allowing extra time to get there.

The harbor's fall calendar gives people a reason to cross

The bridge brings back people driving out of Seabright. The Port District's fall and winter calendar is aimed at the westbound visitors who still have to plan the drive in.

Harboropoly is back and runs from Oct. 1 through Dec. 31, 2026. Pick up a gameboard at the harbor office, at participating businesses, or download it from the Port District. Save receipts from restaurants, shops and charters, and get free activity stamps at the harbor office. The board counts any business at the harbor, on lower Seabright or on lower 7th Avenue, including ones not printed on it. You can claim one square per business per visit, and you can hit several businesses in a day. Completed boards go to the harbor office at 135 5th Ave. by 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 31, and the raffle drawing is Jan. 8, 2027. Since lower Seabright businesses count, a burger on Seabright Avenue and coffee at the harbor are two squares.

Haunted Harbor is Saturday, Oct. 24, from 3 to 6 p.m., with trick-or-treating at participating harbor businesses. A water taxi runs that weekend, Oct. 24 and 25, stopping at X-1 Gate, AA Dock and the launch ramp. Visitor parking is near X Dock in the north harbor. The Port District's water taxi notice lists Oct. 24 service from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., while the Haunted Harbor page lists an earlier end time, so check with the Port District before planning a late ride back. A separate Port District notice lists the free inner-harbor taxi on Sunday, Oct. 25, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., with the same three stops and parking near X Dock. Across the water, the taxi does the job the closed stairs and access road would normally do.

The Lighted Boat Parade, the Santa Cruz Yacht Club's 39th, is Saturday, Dec. 5, at 5:30 p.m., rain or shine. It's the night most likely to fill the harbor's limited visitor parking.

If you're driving in, pick the entrance for the side of the harbor you want, so the bridge restriction doesn't add more distance. The Port District lists these entrances:

1. Atlantic Avenue for the southwest harbor
2. Lake Avenue for the southeast harbor and the launch ramp
3. East Cliff Drive at Lake Avenue for the concession lot by Crow's Nest
4. Brommer Street for the north harbor

Designated visitor spaces cost $2 an hour or $20 a day, and there's a separate paid concession lot next to Harbor Beach. The Port District's parking page also says ParkMobile is coming, so check how to pay before you go. If you're coming from the Eastside, the Lake Avenue and East Cliff entrances keep you on the east side of the harbor without crossing the bridge.

Jessyka grew up crossing the Murray Street Bridge and keeps track of what the next closure means for Seabright and Twin Lakes households. If construction on the bridge is affecting how you weigh a home on either side of the harbor, Jessyka Sommers can walk you through the timeline for your street. Let's Connect.