US 101/Avila Beach Drive Interchange Improvement Project

The US 101/Avila Beach Drive Interchange Project is an operational improvement and multimodal transportation effort for the County of San Luis Obispo, with Caltrans and SLOCOG as strategic partners. This interchange serves as a key access point to the Avila Beach community for both residents and visitors, and the project enhances mobility for pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit users while reducing congestion and delay.

Wallace Group is the prime consultant and design lead, coordinating a team-based approach to deliver the project. The scope includes roundabout design, park‑and‑ride lot development, extensive utility coordination, multi‑level retaining wall design, geotechnical investigation, traffic operations analysis, aesthetics and landscape architecture treatments, water quality and hydraulics, environmental review, and ongoing Caltrans coordination.

Contemporary transportation design emphasizes serving the full range of roadway users, and Avila Beach Drive is no exception. These improvements will provide safer, more efficient travel through the interchange for all modes.

Project Highlights

• Replace stop-controlled intersection with roundabout
• Park-and-ride lot with approx. 40 spaces (adjacent to hiking and biking trails and will have a transit stop)
• Improves safety by reducing vehicle conflict points from 25 to 11 and eliminating the most severe conflict turning moves
• Reduces vehicular delay at intersection by more than 75%
• Robust public outreach and simulations efforts
• Multi-agency coordination including Caltrans and SLOCOG

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