CAPITOLA — Costs are rising as a project along Highway 1 near Capitola and Aptos progresses, prompting the local transportation agency helping lead the effort to fork over millions of dollars more to keep momentum going forward.

The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission agreed unanimously at its Thursday meeting to program an additional $6.6 million to help get Phase 2 of the Watsonville-Santa Cruz Multimodal Corridor Program over the finish line. The money will be provided through an amendment to the commission’s Measure D highway corridors budget for fiscal year 2025-2026, but commission Executive Director Sarah Christensen has also been authorized to pursue a short-term money borrowing strategy that may be needed to avoid cash flow issues.

The project, which stretches a

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