Avila Beach Debuts Its New Roundabout For Improved Highway 101 Access
Jarrod Zinn
AVILA BEACH, Calif. (KEYT) – After a month of being closed and requiring detours, the Avila Beach Drive access ramps at Highway 101 are back open, along with a new roundabout.
The project is right on schedule.
Locals have been looking forward to the roundabout’s design and opening for a few years, and it has been an immediate success, not only for commuters but for cyclists and visitors to Avila Beach.
The Avila Beach access ramps at Highway 101 have been closed for the last month during the construction of a new roundabout, which opened Friday.
Popular attractions close to the interchange such as Avila Valley Barn, Avila Hot Springs, and the Bob Jones Trail, have reported minimal impacts to their businesses during the closure.
“We were right on schedule,” says Shelly Cone, public information officer for San Luis Obispo county’s Public Works department. “Very pleased that this came together within the 40 days that we projected and we had no delays with that.”
County representatives say they timed the closure for the construction of this roundabout with the specific intention of minimizing impacts on local businesses.
“We were trying to avoid the peak summer months and all of the events happening, even though we did catch the tail end of summer,” says Cone. “But we were also trying to avoid the rainy season, which could potentially cause delays.”
Designed for both its functionality and aesthetically pleasing appearance, the roundabout will be accompanied by a park-n-ride, which is expected to be finished in January.
Things went smooth this weekend,” says Cone. “We did have staff that drove through the area occasionally just to monitor things to see how they were going and they reported no issues. We didn’t receive any calls or reporting issues. And overall, the feedback that we’ve received about the opening has been positive.”
County officials expect the project to streamline access to Avila Beach, one of the Central Coast’s top attractions for locals as much as tourists.
If anyone needs tips for navigating the new roundabout, you can be linked to the county’s information page on the project by clicking here.
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