Santa Cruz Metro to run extra buses for memorial service

Santa Cruz Metro Transit District (“METRO”) will have several buses on standby Thursday morning to transport people to the HP Pavilion in San Jose for the memorial service to honor Santa Cruz detectives Elizabeth Butler and Butch Baker.

The extra buses will begin running from Santa Cruz Metro Center as needed beginning with the morning commute, with extra drivers volunteering to drive extra buses to San Jose and back after the memorial service. Metro Center is the main bus terminal in Santa Cruz and is located at the south end of downtown on Front Street.

The City of Santa Cruz and METRO are offering METRO bus vouchers for travel on the Highway 17 Express on Thursday, March 7, to enable attendance at the memorial service. Vouchers are available for individuals with special needs or those with no other means to attend. For more information on the vouchers, please contact the Louden Nelson Community Center. A voucher is not necessary to ride one of the extra buses if you can pay the cash fare or have a Highway 17 bus pass.

On March 7th beginning at 8:45AM, there will be a Memorial Procession from Santa Cruz to the HP Pavilion in San Jose. Traffic in Santa Cruz will be impacted as rolling road closures occur along the procession route. Additionally, traffic will not be allowed to pass the procession on either city streets or highways. The procession will include vehicles from Santa Cruz County criminal justice agencies, fire, police and emergency medical responders.

Santa Cruz Police funeral procession route

Staging for the procession will begin at 7:30AM at the Boardwalk’s Third street parking lot. At 8:45AM the procession will take the following route:

  • Third Street to Riverside Avenue
  • Riverside Avenue north to San Lorenzo Blvd
  • San Lorenzo Blvd to Ocean Street north
  • Ocean Street north to Highway 17
  • Highway 17 to Highway 85 south
  • Highway 85 to Highway 87 north
  • Highway 87 to Julian Street west
  • Julian Street to Autumn Street south
  • Autumn Street to HP Pavilion entrance

Parking will not be allowed on Ocean Street prior to and during the procession.

All METRO bus routes along this procession route should expect delays. Highway 17 service may encounter severe delays so please plan any trips accordingly. According to the Sentinel, the processional will drive over Highway 17 at 30 to 40 MPH.

Up to 15,000 people are expected to attend the memorial for Officer Butler and Sgt Baker. The two Santa Cruz police detectives were shot and killed in the line of duty while investigating a sexual assault.

Those who cannot make the trip “over the hill” can watch a telecast of the memorial service at the Kaiser Permanente Arena on Front Street near downtown Santa Cruz, and at the Del Mar Theater on Pacific Avenue. Seating will be first come, first served.

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