Atascadero breaks ground on first of multiple summer public works projects 

With the Via Avenue Bridge officially breaking ground during the last week of June, locals and visitors may find themselves impacted by road closures as the city of Atascadero begins its efforts to revamp its downtown core.

"The city has an experienced contractor and construction management team working closely to complete the project on time and budget," Ryan Hayes said. "We are looking forward to the successful completion of this important project."

The Atascadero Deputy Director of Public Works expects the $2.2 million bridge project to take until at least mid-November of this year, meaning residents and visitors will have to find an alternate route over Atascadero Creek.

"The currently signed detour route is an approximately 1.3-mile detour via Capistrano Avenue, west Mall, Olmeda Avenue, and Traffic Way," Hayes said. "Other detour routes are available but given the relatively low volume of traffic utilizing the route, significant impacts are not expected."

This project is just one of multiple projects the city has designated for 2023 with the goal of bolstering crucial infrastructure needs related to a lack of historical upkeep.

The other two summer projects include the Downtown District Paving Project, and the 2023 F-14 Pavement Rehabilitation Project which are both expected to begin sometime in July and finish in December of this year with similar processes.

The Via Avenue Bridge has been prioritized as the first to break ground as it was built in 1948 and, according to Hayes, has effectively become unusable.

"The existing bridge had been classified as structurally deficient and functionally obsolete due to its narrow width," Hayes said. "The new bridge will address these conditions ... with sufficient width for vehicle travel lanes, as well as accommodating bicyclists on the shoulders and a sidewalk for pedestrians."

Hayes said the city had to take into account multiple environmental and structural factors in designing and planning the new bridge.

"Some of the key considerations during the design planning phase included the hydrology of the Atascadero Creek watershed ... and geometrical configuration—as the new bridge is on a curved alignment," he said. "[We also] took into consideration environmental resources protection during construction, post-construction stormwater treatment, and maintaining access to neighboring residences and businesses."

Hayes noted that while Atascadero isn't unfamiliar with construction projects of this magnitude and complexity, it is the first project in a long time to make use of as many resources and funding sources in nearly a decade.

"These are moderately sized bridge projects, similar in complexity to some of the city's other recent facility projects," he said. "It has, however, been over a decade since the last bridge project was completed and the federal funding element we had with this project adds significantly to the timeline and administrative complexity."

He expressed gratitude for the combined efforts of city staff and residents in making sure that these infrastructure projects can be undertaken as smoothly as possible and is excited for the future of the city.

"The city has been able to concurrently design and construct the Via Avenue Bridge and Santa Lucia Road Bridge, with efficiencies gained by working on both projects simultaneously," Hayes said. "The city has been very fortunate to have an excellent design consultant team that has managed this project from the start of construction and incredible support from the local staff at Caltrans, neighboring residents, and business owners who have been willing to work with the city." Δ