NIPOMO, Calif. – After decades of anticipation, the Willow Road interchange just north of Nipomo will officially open to the public on Saturday, October 27th. Just ahead of the opening, a ribbon cutting ceremony will be held on Friday, October 26th at 3:00pm. The public is invited to attend the event. Parking will be available on Thompson Avenue near the new Nipomo Creek Bridge.
The $20 million project will connect Highway 1 on the Nipomo Mesa with Highway 101. The project was funded through a variety of means, including South County road improvement fees, the County of San Luis Obispo, the California Transportation Commission and several other sources as well. For more information, please see story below.
Story provided by Caltrans
A ribbon cutting ceremony for the U.S. Highway 101 Willow Road Interchange Project will be held on Friday, October 26, 2012, at 3 pm in Nipomo. The public is invited to attend the event. Access for parking will be Thompson Avenue and parking will be near the new Nipomo Creek Bridge. The event will include the ribbon cutting ceremony with local and state representatives and a soap box car derby race.
After decades of planning, environmental review, design, and construction, the Willow Road completion will provide a direct link between State Route 1 and Highway 101 and a new interchange at Highway 101.
The completion of this project will also provide area residents with the ability to travel from the west mesa to Thompson Avenue providing additional access to the Nipomo High School and Olde Towne Nipomo.
The $20 million construction project was completed by Granite Construction of Santa Maria. This project was funded by South County road improvement fees, the County of San Luis Obispo, the San Luis Obispo Council of Governments, Prop 1B State and Local partnership Program funds, and the California Transportation Commission. The completion of the project is five months ahead of schedule due to Granite's construction efforts and has been delivered approximately $1 million under budget.
The new freeway access will be open for public use beginning October 27, 2012, after the ribbon cutting ceremony.
As part of the project mitigation, the Department of Public Works is developing a 22.8 acre oak woodland habitat on County property adjacent to the Dana Adobe. The woodland enhancement provides mitigation for the disturbance caused by the interchange construction.
A contract to plant 4,000 acorns will be set later this year.
