Aerial rendering shows the route of the proposed Morro Bay to Cayucos Connector bike path project, as it runs towards the Toro Creek Road-Hwy 1 intersection. SLO County rendering.
Work continues on a much-anticipated dedicated bike lane connecting Morro Bay and Cayucos and overlooking the beach and Pacific Ocean.
County Supervisors were asked to approve moving $100,000 from the County Parks’ Public Facilities Fund to the Morro Bay to Cayucos Connector Pathway Project account, to cover additional work needing to be done by the County’s contract engineering firm.
According to a report from Aaron Yonker, the Supervising Engineer for the project, this 10th amendment to the engineering contract “will allow Cannon Corporation, under the direction of County of San Luis Obispo County staff, to provide additional services necessary to complete the Plans, Specification, and Estimate (PS&E) package from the current 90% completion milestones to the final 100% completion milestone.
“Once completed, the Department of Public Works will be positioned to request authorization to enter the construction phase from Caltrans, and to advertise the project for construction bids.”
It’s been over a decade since the County first proposed the connector project, which would run a dedicated paved bike path along the bluff overlooking Chevron Dog Beach and connecting the North Point Natural Area on the south with the end of Cayucos’ Studio Drive on the north.
The path on the west side of the Hwy 1 fence will run mostly over sand dunes requiring a bunch of small bridges to span dips and runoff channels through the dunes.
It has to span Toro Creek in what promises to be a pretty big bridge project and also needs a massive retaining wall with backfill on the south to support the path.
It’s been a monumental undertaking to get the project even close to the goal line. “The approved project pathway alignment,” the report said, “is complicated by the fact that the project passes through properties owned by the City of Morro Bay, Chevron, and Caltrans, and is within Coastal Commission jurisdiction, increasing the amount of coordination and support required by Cannon to complete this project.
“The coordination has led to numerous contract amendments to extend the initial contract duration and provide additional services to meet these needs.”
This latest amendment, which Cannon bid at $89,000, includes “additional engineering design, Caltrans coordination, Chevron coordination, Coastal Commission coordination, environmental permitting, right-of-way acquisition, and construction documents services.”
Management of the project has added complexity to the overall complexity of being located in the Coastal Zone.
County Parks will retain portions of the project oversight, the report said, which goes back to the original charter approved for the project.
Caltrans is in charge of funding the construction and the Council of Governments (SLOCOG) as the County’s transportation funding agency, controls the funding allocations.
The project’s current budget sits at $1.98 million and it’s gotten a $1.18 million Regional Surface Transportation Program grant out of the Regional State Highway Account (via SLOCOG) and $900,000 from County Parks Public Facilities Fees. Developers pay those fees.
The County estimates the cost for finishing all the paperwork including final design and permitting will top $2 million. The new funding was decided upon by committee.
“The Public Facilities Fees Subcommittee of the Capital Improvement — Executive Steering Committee,” the report said, “held a special remote meeting to review the current balances of Public Facilities Fees and vote via email on a request by Parks and Recreation to transfer $100,000.”
The Subcommittee includes one voting member each from the Executive Office, Sheriff-Coroner’s Office, County Fire, Parks and Recreation, and Library Departments.
Moving the $100,000 leaves $126,000 in the facilities fund, but the estimated revenue going into the fund this fiscal year is projected to be $280,000.
Of note, Caltrans is well into the replacement of the southbound Hwy 1 bridge over Toro Creek and the connector path bridge will run parallel to and west of that new span.
And County Parks intends some day to build a new regional park on the old Chevron Estero Marine Terminal’s shore plant property, which sits east of the highway. Beach access will be via an underpass running under the highway bridges and along the Toro Creek channel. Caltrans’ is supposed to build that under passage as part of its highway bridge project.
