San Luis Obispo County is spending over $1.7 million on studies for roads projects including a study of Los Osos Valley Road from Los Osos to San Luis Obispo.
County Supervisors were asked to create five new “capital projects” using some $1.7 million in funding from the San Luis Obispo Council of Governments using “Regional State Highway Accounts” (RSHA) and “Urban State Highway Accounts” (USHA) monies. The new projects are:
• Los Osos Valley Road Multi-Modal Corridor Study;
• Pier Avenue Multi-Modal Corridor Study;
• Pier Avenue Multi-Modal Betterments Study;
• Countywide Signalization Intersections Modernization; and,
• Dana Elementary Pedestrian Enhancements.
The LOVR money would be increased by $150,000 for a study that will look at Los Osos Valley Road and all the ways people travel on that main road connecting Los Osos with SLO. The study area spans from Foothill Boulevard in SLO to Pecho Valley Road where it turns towards Montaña de Oro State Park.
One other North Coast project is included in this funding package $50,000 towards the Cambria Burton Path.
The biggest expenditure is some $900,000 towards closing a gap in the Bob Jones Trail, a pedestrian and bike path that runs from SLO to Avila Beach.
Second biggest item is $498,000 for the Countywide Signalized Intersections Modernization.
The money for these new projects and continued funding of existing efforts, is coming from the SLOCOG, a transportation funding agency that distributes tax revenues trickled down from federal and state gasoline taxes to pay for local transportation projects including pedestrian and bicycle paths, as well as road construction and repair projects.
The SLOCOG Board consists of the five County Supervisors, one representative from each of the seven incorporated cities some 12 members in all and one non-voting member from the local Caltrans District Office.
