The Gift That Keeps on Giving

January 2008

Journal Article by Mayor Dave Romero

MERRY CHRISTMAS ALL

In November 2006, SLO voters gave the community a wonderful gift by approving a ½ cent sales tax increase. They told us that priorities for spending the new money were improved street maintenance, traffic congestion relief and improved flood protection. Today’s article is a progress report.

We have installed new traffic signals at Higuera/Granada, Broad/Pacific, Los Osos Valley Road/ Calle Joaquin, Johnson/Ella and modified the signal at Los Osos Valley Road/Madonna. All will make traffic smoother and safer.

We have sealed and restriped  arterial streets Foothill Blvd., Madonna Rd., California Blvd., and Johnson Ave.

We have repaved, restriped and added new street lighting in downtown. We have awarded a contract for drainage improvements, paving, seal coat and restriping work on Los Osos Valley Road between 101 and the northwest city limits.

Caltrans is currently working on Santa Rosa Street and on repaving of several blocks of South-Higuera-Madonna.

We are ready to award contracts for road widening, repaving of Orcutt Road between Broad and Laurel,  intersection realignment of Bullock Lane and a new traffic signal at Laurel and Orcutt Road. Railroad crews will improve  and widen the crossing of the tracks. We are ready to award contracts for widening of Santa Barbara between Broad and High.

We have selected a Preferred Alternative for the Los Osos Valley Road Interchange on 101 and have asked Caltrans to complete Environmental Determinations, finalize the Design Documents and complete the Project Report (our dollars of course). We’re starting an aggressive campaign to obtain State funding for  about half the $22 million cost of the project.

We have purchased and placed in service 2 new slightly smaller busses with state-of-the-art low emission engines. We have paved and soon will open up a new portion of the Bob Jones Bike Trail, just south of  Prado Road. We have funding and Right-of-way for two more sections of the Railroad Safety Trail and plan to construct them next summer.

We have removed major silt blockages in San Luis Obispo Creek near Los Osos Valley Road and at Marsh St., thus improving flood protection in those areas of town. We are purchasing a huge vacuum truck to greatly improve our ability to clean out catch basins and storm drains, thereby reducing flooding.

All these improvements warm the cockles of my Public Works Heart. It is like Christmas every day.

I’d like to thank our voters who have made possible this wonderful gift that will keep on giving to our beloved  SLOTOWN.