San Luis Obispo County to begin work to replace El Camino Real bridge at Santa Margarita Creek

Starting Monday, May 13, the County of San Luis Obispo will begin demolition to replace the bridge on El Camino Real at Santa Margarita Creek between Santa Margarita and Atascadero.

Those who take this route will see delays of up to 10 minutes and reduced speeds through the construction zone until November 2024.

County officials say the bridge has reached the end of its useful life, and with construction, the public will see improvements, including a new center turn lane and wider paved shoulders for vehicle and bicycle safety. The work will also include a left-turn lane at the intersection of Asuncion and Santa Margarita roads and the reconstruction of a portion of those roads near the bridge.

The first part of the project the public will notice is the construction of a temporary detour bridge adjacent to the existing bridge. The temporary bridge will take approximately one month to build. Once the detour bridge is in place, traffic will be diverted around the existing bridge through a 15 mph detour. Once the older, existing bridge is demolished, the new bridge will be constructed in its place. Traffic will then be re-routed onto the new bridge and the temporary bridge will be removed in the fall of 2024. 

Additionally, the project will relocate a portion of the Nacimiento Water Pipeline from the existing pipe bridge into the new bridge structure. 

Souza Construction has been awarded a contract for $6.9 million to perform the work. The project is funded by the Federal Highway Administration via grant funding administered by Caltrans and local funds.