From Santa Cruz Sentinel Santa Cruz Sentinel
Dolphins seem to be swimming alongside vehicles as traffic flows around the roundabout adjacent to the entrance of the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf. The traffic circle, which won a first-place award from the American Society of Concrete Contractors when it was built in 2016, was constructed by concrete magician Tom Ralston and his crew. At the time Ralston said, “Rather than using arrows that seemed unattractive and industrial I thought we could use dolphins that would point traffic in the correct direction of the flow of traffic.” The dolphins were made in 8-foot, 6-foot and 4-foot sizes and the 8′ dolphins weigh almost half a ton. The dolphins have beach glass, seashells, aquarium sand and each had a custom hand ground abalone eye. Ralston added that he hopes the project can, “serve to lift the soul and psyche of many of the harried individuals in traffic.
Note: This project won the award for “Best Round-a-Bout" the year it was built!