– The City of Atascadero continues to make progress ahead of schedule on the El Camino Real Downtown Safety and Parking Enhancement Project and is working to minimize traffic impacts for Atascadero Middle School drop-off and pick-up and Cruisin’ Weekend.

School traffic

In preparation for the school year starting on Aug. 14, the city has been working closely with the Atascadero Unified School District (AUSD) to identify alternate traffic routes and student drop-off and pick-up zones for Atascadero Middle School. A map with the alternate routes, drop-off and pick-up zones, and active construction areas to avoid is available on the city’s and Atascadero Middle School’s websites.

Drivers should use an alternative route to avoid the impacted construction areas on El Camino Real between Traffic Way and Highway 41, and East Mall. School commuters are encouraged to use Traffic Way, Highway 41, and Capistrano Avenue as alternative routes and utilize West Mall between Lewis Avenue and Capistrano Avenue for student drop-off and pick-up. The city will continue to coordinate with AUSD regarding project updates and any recommended changes to these alternative routes.

Cruisin’ Weekend

The city is also preparing for a fun and safe Cruisin’ Weekend on Aug. 16-17. While the closed route for the 31st Annual Hot El Camino Cruise Nite will remain the same as previous years, there will be areas of active construction that will be delineated and unavailable to spectators to ensure safety and minimize construction disruption.

The following roads will close for Cruise Nite beginning at 5 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 16, with a hard road closure at 5:30 p.m.:

• El Camino Real from Curbaril to Traffic Way
• East Mall from Palma Ave to El Camino Real
• West Mall from Palma Ave to El Camino Real
• Palma Ave from West Mall to Traffic Way
• Traffic Way from Palma Ave to El Camino Real (Parking behind El Paseo Plaza to remain open for parking) – soft closure up to Lewis Ave
• San Luis Ave from Curbaril to Pueblo Ave
• Pueblo Ave from Sinoloa to San Luis Ave
• Entrada Ave from El Camino Real to Palma Ave (soft closure at Lewis Ave)

A Cruise Nite route map, along with a full list of closures and traffic impacts, is available on the city’s website and has been shared with event participants. The number of participating cars in Cruise Nite will be limited to 350 this year to ensure public safety during construction. City staff will host an informational booth during the event to answer any questions from attendees about the project.

The 8th Annual Dancing in the Streets event will proceed as usual on Saturday, Aug. 17, from 5 to 10 p.m. The event will feature five bands located in the Sunken Gardens area of Downtown Atascadero along with various food and beverage vendors.

The following roads will be closed from 11 a.m. to midnight:

• West Mall – between El Camino Real and Lewis Ave
• East Mall – between El Camino Real and Lewis Ave
• Palma Ave – between East Mall and Entrada

No parking areas include Entrada between Palma and up to Lewis Ave just past State Farm (State Farm side only) and El Camino Real between East Mall and West Mall along Sunken Gardens.

The community is encouraged to stay informed about ongoing project updates, traffic advisories, and event impacts by following the city on social media platforms: Facebook, Instagram, and X, and visiting Atascadero.org/ECRProject. Community members can also sign up for construction news and alerts at Atascadero.org/News-List.