Cecchetti Road is back open, but it might not last long.
After three years and multiple signs calling for action, a temporary bridge has been installed over Arroyo Grande Creek. Jeroen Dierkes cheered as he crossed the bridge.
“I’m so happy," Dierkes said. "I'm so excited. This is so awesome that they fixed it. I'm so happy. I was flying over from that side. Looking forward to finishing the route out this side.”
The creek crossing was initially closed after storm damage in 2023, forcing residents to detour.
“We had to go all the way around AG, or you take the sneak way to Talley vineyards,” Dierkes said.
Costs for the project almost tripled from the initial $250,000 in secured funding. The current design cost $700,000.
“We used cost savings from another project that had essentially not needed all of its funds and allocated it to pay for the additional cost associated with this bridge," said Jimmy Paulding, San Luis Obispo County District 4 Supervisor.
The bridge went through multiple designs before final approval. The final design for the current bridge has to comply with environmental requirements to protect the critically threatened steelhead trout population.
“It was designed in a way that it wouldn't be in the creek and wouldn't affect the habitat," Paulding said. "That's a really important aspect of this project to make sure that it's not impacting the environment.”
Sandor Hodosy, who is familiar with the area, said he has mixed feelings about the need to protect the species.
“I’m all for being a good steward of the earth, but at the same time, I think humans come first," Hodosy said. "If it's a little shrimp or a little trout or something that hasn't been here in 100 years, well, let's just, let's get the humans going first and then work on that later.”
But this bridge is temporary and will need to be removed in the winter because of potential storms, which has been the plan since the temporary bridge was introduced. A permanent bridge will need to be designed to tolerate all weather, protect the trout habitat, and have two lanes.
Construction on the permanent bridge is set to start in Spring 2027.
