The San Luis Obispo Council of Governments (SLOCOG) is looking at the impacts of climate change and its effects on South Bay Boulevard. The heavily traveled corridor linking Los Osos and Morro Bay is sometimes impacted by winter storms.
Storms as recently as 2022 and 2023 have forced the closure of South Bay Boulevard due to flooding.
“Before we knew it, the road was completely gone. You could just watch it. The road disappeared — water and more water,” said Judy Heintzelman, Morro Bay resident.
Heintzelman lives nearby and says she couldn’t leave her mobile home park for about two days.
“We were pretty secluded up here as far as that goes,” she said.
“It was just totally a river all the way around,” said Kathy Giddens, Heintzelman’s neighbor.
Giddens says it was unexpected.
“Because one minute we’re driving in and the next we can’t go out. All the water just enveloped very fast,” she said.
The flooding affected more than just the road.
“The estuary was also impacted because of the flow of Chorro Creek and the high storm surge and sea level rise occurring within the estuary, and it caused this whole area to flood,” said John DiNunzio, SLOCOG Transportation Planner.
But changes could be coming so the area is better prepared for future storms. A $400,000 grant from Caltrans is helping fund the Morro Bay Estuary Climate Resiliency Transportation Plan.
“We’re trying to highlight and identify parts of the road, infrastructure, that may need to be repaired in the future if these storms continue,” Dinunzio said.
SLOCOG and other local agencies will be working with consulting firms that specialize in sea level rise.
“We’re flying drones, using computer simulations and microsimulations,” DiNunzio said.
Giddens has an idea of what she’d like to see done.
“Well drainage, number one, and cutting back foliage because the road could be a lot wider if it was cut back,” Giddens said.
If you’d like to weigh in on the future of South Bay Boulevard, a community workshop will be held on December 3 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at El Morro Church of the Nazarene in Los Osos.
