More than $12 million in federal disaster relief is heading to San Luis Obispo County to help cover damages from the powerful storms that struck the Central Coast in January 2023.
The funding, announced by Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara), will reimburse the county for storm clean-up and pay for permanent repairs to damaged infrastructure.
One of the largest awards, nearly $7.7 million is reserved for permanent repairs to Chimney Rock Road near Lake Nacimiento, where stormwater washed away the soil beneath the asphalt and caused the roadway to collapse. The damage left hundreds of residents stranded for days with no alternate way out.
Garret McElveny, an engineer with the San Luis Obispo County Public Works Department said the funding will go toward building a bridge over the collapsed road.
“It's a roughly 180 feet long bridge and it will provide future resilience,” McElveny said.
McElveny said crews had initially installed a temporary bridge to restore access for nearby neighborhoods. The new permanent bridge is designed to withstand future storms and reduce long-term maintenance costs.
The rest of the funding—about $4.4 million—will reimburse the county for their debris removal work conducted after the storms, which brought severe rain, flooding and mudslides that left behind massive amounts of debris on the Central Coast.
