Heavy rains last week are to blame for closing a portion of Halcyon Road in Arroyo Grande.
“It caused the hillside to slip, which in turn caused the shoulder to collapse," Shelly Cone with San Luis Obispo County Public Works said.
This closure isn't just a roadblock; it's impacting nearby businesses like 'Burrito Loco.'
Mario Alanez, manager of the restaurant says his regular customers have complained about having to find a longer route, and that business on Halcyon Road has been slower than usual.
“We're just kind of like seeing fewer customers for a few days,” Alanez said.
Across the street at the Chevron gas station food market, employees like Tanya Wilkins are seeing the same trends:
“Yeah, it definitely dropped business down,” said Wilkins.
The road now presents a steep hole in the ground dropping a few feet. But Cone said it’s a problem her department can fix.
“We're hoping that we can start repair work on Monday, weather permitting. And this week we've been working with PG&E to make sure that it's safe to proceed," Cone said.
Public works has been made aware of a large SoCal Gas mainline in the undisturbed portion of the roadway which they’ll need to work around.
As for the road closure, it's set to persist until repairs are done. Crews still need to reconstruct the downslope embankment, replace the damaged roadway, and install a new curb to prevent water from eroding the slope again.
Their goal is to wrap up before next weekend.
“Honestly, I'd be surprised if it's finished that fast just because of how bad the damage is. But if they can do it, that'll be great," Wilkins said.
Cone said they don’t know the final cost of the project just yet but don’t expect it to be too expensive since county crews are the ones doing the repairs.
