Water Street

Water Street is a major Santa Cruz street, connecting to Mission Street in front of the Town Clock on its west end, and merging with Soquel Avenue at Morrissey Boulevard on the east end. Water Street began as the route from Mission Santa Cruz to a fordable (before there were any bridges) section of the San Lorenzo River, and from there connecting to the road to San Jose that is now Ocean Street and Highway 17. Later extended into the Eastside neighborhood, it became part of the Highway 1 route through downtown until 1958, when the Highway 1 beach bypass was completed. One of today's five bridges over the river in Santa Cruz is the Water Street bridge.