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SCOTTS VALLEY – Millions in state transportation funds have been allocated to stabilize a slope on Highway 17 near Scotts Valley that eroded during a series of heavy rainstorms more than five years ago.

The California Transportation Commission, as part of a $3 billion infrastructure package, has committed $4.4 million to the project located half a mile south of Sugarloaf Road near Scotts Valley. Caltrans has been the lead agency in designing repairs and after the project is put out to bid, it will administer construction which is planned to begin in December, according to Caltrans Spokesperson Kevin Drabinski.

“The CTC’s decision to invest in our state highways while protecting city and county infrastructure will help make California’s roadways safer and more resilient one shovel, one project and one community at a time,” said Caltrans Director Tony Tavares in a prepared media release.

After a massive storm system hit the county in January and February of 2017, the northbound lanes and shoulder were blocked by debris from the hillside for days. Drabinski said that about 30,000 yards of soil and rock – the length of about 250 professional football fields – was removed from the site to reopen the northbound lanes. Once cleared, a railing and chain link fence were placed along the outside of the travel way to provide protection.

“Highway 17 has been one of the most dangerous routes for our county, so when we do have rain, that area is one that can slide and block a lane of traffic and so we have to funnel everything down to one lane,” Scotts Valley Mayor Donna Lind told the Sentinel. “It (the project) will have an impact on all of Santa Cruz County.”

The project will provide grading, improved drainage infrastructure and mesh netting pinned to the slope to help lower the chance of small debris falling in future storm events.

The atmospheric river that hit the county in 2017 triggered a number of mudslides along Highway 17, disrupting commuter traffic for weeks. It also led to major flooding, power outages, evacuations, emergency declarations, millions in requested funding for repairs and the second wettest January on record, according to previous Sentinel reporting.

Lind, a retired police sergeant, was quick to remind that this is one project on a highway that remains dangerous outside of a heavy rain season. Earlier this week, a San Jose man was killed in a single-vehicle rollover crash on Highway 17 near Scotts Valley and the site of the upcoming landslide repairs.

“It is not an easy road to travel and speed is, most of the time, a factor in serious accidents. Now that people are working in person more, commuters need to remember that Highway 17 needs to be treated with caution,” Lind said. “This is one more step to help improve and keep 17 open and safe.”

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