City approves road, storm drain work as El Niño winter nears
– The Atascadero City Council has approved design contracts for two road rehabilitation projects and renewed the city’s emergency authority to repair failed storm drains before an expected El Niño winter, according to city records.
The council approved the items unanimously Sept. 22 as part of its consent calendar, with no items pulled for discussion, according to the city’s video of the meeting. Together, the road projects and storm drain repairs account for about $7 million in planned work. KSBY News reported earlier on the Carrizo Road project.
Storm drain repairs
On Sept. 8, the council set aside $700,000 for repairs at 11 storm drain locations the city considers critical and adopted Resolution 2026-059, which allows the city manager to hire qualified contractors without waiting for competitive bids, according to a city staff report. Under state law, the council must review the emergency at each regular meeting until the repairs are complete.
Delaying the work until competitive bids are obtained “may result in negative impacts to public safety and flooding,” the report states.
The locations include two sites on El Camino Real, at 7950 and 7434 El Camino Real, estimated at $295,000 combined. The others are on San Marcos Road, Santa Ysabel Road, San Gabriel Road, Rosario Avenue, Castano Avenue, Obispo Road, Escondito Road, and Cascada Road at El Centro Avenue.
Staff is gathering costs for the two El Camino Real repairs and preparing plans for the remaining sites, work expected to take a month or two, Public Works Director Nick DeBar wrote in the report. An update is expected at the council’s next meeting.
During the meeting, Mayor Charles Bourbeau noted that drainage is also “fundamentally an individual property owner responsibility for all the water flowing across their properties.”
City staff told the council that crews clean every culvert in town each fall and return after the first big storm, which often washes leaves and branches into drains. Staff encouraged residents to clear driveway culverts, check gutters and roofs, and avoid dumping leaves or debris in low areas or drainage ways.
Staff also said repairs to the pipe that fills Atascadero Lake likely will not be finished before winter after a lengthy U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permit review, though a wet winter would fill the lake regardless.
Carrizo and Graves Creek roads
The council awarded North Coast Engineering $181,530 to design the 2027 Measure F-14 Pavement Rehabilitation Project, which covers about 1.8 miles in the northern part of the city:
- Carrizo Road from El Camino Real to Traffic Way
- Graves Creek Road from Monterey Road to San Fernando Road
- Graves Creek Road from San Fernando Road to Santa Ana Road
In 2024, those segments scored 25, 45, and 22, respectively, on the city’s 100-point pavement condition index. Carrizo Road is narrow and hilly, with little or no edge improvements or pedestrian and bicycle features, according to the staff report. Graves Creek Road has wider lanes and drainage improvements but no pedestrian or bicycle features.
Four engineering firms with offices in San Luis Obispo County submitted proposals. The project is estimated at $4.275 million, including a $3.1 million construction contract, and is funded by Measure F-14 sales tax revenue.
North El Camino Real
The council also awarded RICK Engineering $209,746 to design the second phase of the North El Camino Real Pavement Rehabilitation Project, covering 0.55 miles between San Benito Road and Del Rio Road. The work picks up where a 2018 project between San Anselmo Road and San Benito Road ended.
The project would give the stretch a consistent layout of one through lane in each direction, a two-way center left-turn lane, bike lanes, curb, gutter and sidewalk, with on-street parking where possible, according to the staff report. Developers will be expected to build frontage improvements along undeveloped parcels.
The project is estimated at $2.1 million and funded by state Road Repair and Accountability Act (SB 1) money. The city expects to budget the remaining $1.85 million in its 2027–29 budget.
For both road projects, design is expected to take about seven months, with bids around May 2027 and construction from June through November 2027.
About Measure F-14
Atascadero voters approved Measure F-14, a half-cent sales tax for neighborhood road repairs, in November 2014. It has funded nearly $27 million in road work on more than 50 miles of city streets, according to the city. The tax expires March 31, 2027. Measure L-24, approved by voters in 2024, continues the half-cent rate starting April 1, 2027, for roads, infrastructure, and general city needs.
Staff reports are available on the city’s meeting portal. For questions, contact Atascadero Public Works at (805) 470-3456 or publicworks@atascadero.org. Storm preparation information is available at ReadySLO, and residents can sign up for emergency alerts at AlertSLO.org.
