Empire Grade and countywide road safety improvements
Santa Cruz County
Summary
Roughly a dozen residents described three washouts leaving North Rodeo Gulch one-lane for years, warning it is an indefensible evacuation route in a wildfire. Koenig said two slides are funded for 2027 repair; the third remains unfunded.
At a glance
- Total mentions
- 5
- Last 30 days
- 2
Rising — discussed at 3 meetings since Sep 15, 2026, up from 1 in the two months before.
Impact analysis
The third unfunded slide repair needs local money; Koenig noted roads overall need $40-50 million a year just to maintain condition.
The roughly 300 residents of North Rodeo Gulch and mountain road communities countywide.
Residents face fire evacuation risk and property impacts while slides persist.
Mentions & discussions (5)
Board of Supervisors - Regular Meeting - Oct 20, 2026
The county is applying for up to $1.8 million in federal grants to make Empire Grade and county intersections safer.
Board of Supervisors - Regular Meeting - Oct 6, 2026
Mountain residents again urged the Board to fund road repair, citing North Rodeo Gulch's one-lane washouts and evacuation risk. Staff promised a roads funding report in November and said the county spends about $2 million of general fund on roads plus nearly $1 million on disaster bond debt.
Board of Supervisors - Regular Meeting - Sep 15, 2026
Roughly a dozen residents described three washouts leaving North Rodeo Gulch one-lane for years, warning it is an indefensible evacuation route in a wildfire. Koenig said two slides are funded for 2027 repair; the third remains unfunded.
Board of Supervisors - Regular Meeting - Aug 11, 2026
Mountain Charlie Road residents warned that failing culverts and deferred road maintenance could trap families during an El Niño winter. Supervisors acknowledged the backlog but no action was taken, pointing to budget constraints.
Board of Supervisors - Regular Meeting - May 19, 2026
The county adopted its Vision Zero-rooted Safety Action Plan, finding unsignalized intersections cause most fatal and serious crashes and that the county ranks second in the state for alcohol-involved and young-cyclist crashes. Adoption unlocks federal safety grants requiring a 20% local match.
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