Traffic Tips for Santa Cruz Police Officer Memorial

On Thursday, more than 200 law enforcement vehicles will join in a motorcade making the 33-mile trek from Santa Cruz to San Jose, to honor two fallen Santa Cruz police officers  Det. Sgt. Loran "Butch" Baker and Det. Elizabeth Butler last week.

The route begins at 8:45 a.m. at the Boardwalk parking lot on Third and Beach streets in Santa Cruz.

It will head up Third Street, across the San Lorenzo River to San Lorenzo Boulevard, and then up Ocean Street to Highway 17. From there, it will continue north to Highway 85 heading south to Highway 87, continuing north on Highway 87, exiting Julian Street to downtown San Jose and the HP Pavilion.

A big note for drivers: There will be rolling road closures all along their path and the procession will take both lanes along the entire route for northbound Highway 17 up through Los Gatos.

Vehicles will be traveling at between 30 and 40 mph. If you get stuck behind that motorcade, you will be allowed to follow the procession but will not be allowed to pass. Try to get over the Summit before 8:30 a.m. to avoid the procession.

Due to the expected volume of guests and the memorial, a tremendous amount of traffic is expected to and through downtown San Jose. If you are coming to downtown San Jose for the event, or even for work, here’s what you’ll want to know.

  • Parking is relatively limited in the area around HP Pavilion. Here’s a map from their website which shows their suggested parking sites.
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