UPDATE (4:42 p.m.) - SLO County reported Avila Beach Drive reopened Tuesday.
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ORIGINAL STORY: With storm after storm hitting the Central Coast, Avila Beach Drive is closed due to flooding.
Businesses in Avila Beach are seeing fewer people because of it.
“The road closures have been affecting a lot of the businesses locally. Luckily, where we're at, San Luis Bay Drive is open, so we've had access in and out of that,” said Antoinette Weldon, bar manager at Mr. Rick's and Custom House in Avila Beach.
“People aren't able to get here as easily and they're not able to get to the barn, which, you know, really draws a lot of people down to this area," said Chris O'Brien, who works at Peloton Cellars on the 400 block of Front Street.
The Avila Valley Barn shut down because of the closures. “I think both having rain in general and the road closure, a lot of people don't think to come out to the farm in the rain, even though it's a lot of fun. And then now they can't even if they wanted to," said Raven Lukeheart, co-owner and one of the general managers at Avila Valley Barn.
Much of the beachfront was quiet on Monday, except for a few locals like Jim Miers. “If you're coming from south county, it's a little inconvenient, but, you know, San Luis Bay Drive brings us in and Avila Beach Drive is open from there," he said.
The California Highway Patrol has not responded to questions regarding when Avila Beach Drive may reopen.
