A brand new San Luis Bay Drive Bridge, complete with new turning lanes and a traffic light at the intersection of Avila Beach and San Luis Bay drives, will open by the end of the week.
The bridge and intersection of San Luis Bay and Avila Beach drives has been closed since April, and crews weren't expected to complete the entire $6.5-million project until late March 2008.
"We're getting ready to wrap it up," Mike Britton, county project manager, said Friday. "If the weather cooperates, we're hoping to have the main parts (of the project) finished by Thursday or Friday."
The bridge-replacement project also included installation of a traffic signal at the intersection of San Luis Bay and Avila Beach drives, construction of a new right-turn lane on westbound Avila Beach Drive and a new left-turn lane on the bridge at Bay Laurel Place.
Crews worked longer hours, as well as six days a week, to complete the bridge-replacement project three months ahead of schedule, Britton said.
"They were motivated to prove they could do it," he added.
During the eight months of construction, the county had a toll-free phone number where people could call and leave complaints about the project. Only eight complaints were left, with about half that were valid and addressed, Britton said.
"I think in reality that everybody understood" the need to do the project, he added.
The new bridge and roadway work will help improve pedestrian and bicycle access in the area, with a new crossing under the structure that spans San Luis Creek for the Bob Jones Bike Trail.
The project also included creek bed enhancements that will ultimately help manage high flows in the waterway, reducing the potential for flooding in the area, according to Britton.
Project funding came from a combination of Highway Bridge Rehabilitation and Replacement funds, road impact fees, Regional State Highway Account money and Transportation Enhancement Activities funds.
An official reopening of the bridge and ribbon-cutting ceremony is tentatively set for Jan. 4, Britton said, adding the event will also focus on thanking the residents impacted by the bridge's closure.