Two bridges are being replaced on Highway 1 in Cayucos and Morro Bay.
Traffic has been reduced to one lane in each direction on Highway 1 in Cayucos.
"It's been kind of hard on people who live here and go to work, people aren't always abiding by the speed limit law," said Michele Young, who lives in Morro Bay.
Drivers are being urged to slow down as Caltrans moves ahead with a project to tear down and rebuild Old Creek Bridge.
"The original bridge was constructed in 1941, so we are putting resources on it to go ahead and reconstruct that bridge," said Alexa Bertola, Caltrans spokesperson.
On Tuesday, the northbound lane was shifted into what is normally the southbound direction. Caltrans crews were busy building a median and installing barriers on the side of the highway.
"It goes down to 45 and I've just seen people speed up," Young said.
People who live nearby are raising concerns as some drivers speed through the construction zone.
"I actually drove by an accident in the last week," Young added.
Safety and the environment are top of mind as crews work to replace an old bridge that has become more vulnerable to earthquakes and extreme weather.
As for what's next, Old Creek will have to be diverted before the bridge can be demolished.
"Nesting birds are keeping us from starting diversion at this time," Bertola said."Essentially, diversion is putting a pipe in the creek and covering it with gravel and then the bridge will go over that."
Residents say that a slight inconvenience is worth the infrastructure upgrade.
"It's alright, you have to deal with it when you're in a small community," Young said. "Our roads need to be worked on and it's our tax dollars hard at work."
The $8 million project is expected to be finished by the spring of 2023.
Caltrans is also working to replace the Toro Creek bridge just a few miles south along Highway 1 in Morro Bay.
