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Supervisors divert funds for temporary bridge in rural Arroyo Grande

November 20, 2025

By KAREN VELIE

The San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 on Tuesday  to use surplus funds to install a temporary bridge on Cecchetti Road in rural Arroyo Grande, with supervisors John Peschong and Heather Moreno dissenting.

A storm in 2023 washed out the Cecchetti Bridge. Since then, agricultural, school and residential traffic utilizes the Harris Bridge, leading to difficulties for agricultural equipment and smooth traffic. A new bridge is expected to be finished in 2027.

Supervisor Jimmy Paulding proposed installing a temporary bridge several months ago. He was able to get $250,000 in county funds earmarked for the project, but it was not enough.

County staff determined the project would cost $800,000. In addition, of the 24 months Paulding planned for the temporary bridge to be in service, because of flooding during the winter storms it would likely only be in service for eight months.

In October, his attempt for funding failed because Paulding needed a 4-1 vote to succeed. He then asked staff to find the $406,000 needed for the temporary bridge.

County staffers said that leftover funds from the Morretti Canyon Road bridge repair project could fill in the shortfall. Instead of using the funds to repair four other bridges, the county could divert the $500,000 in surplus funds to the Cecchetti bridge project, which would require only a 3-2 vote.

Supervisors Peschong and Moreno again objected to the expenditure.

“Allocating this funding means a delay in other critical bridge projects,” Moreno said. “We don’t have spare money sitting around.”

The board then voted 3-2 to divert funds to pay for the temporary bridge project.

 


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The board initially intended to fix the bridge but deferred the expense for some other pet project.


They should have fixed it at the original lower cost instead of pursuing a typical SLOC BOS BAD decision.


2

What has actually happened here is the mutli-millionaires infecting our rural communities have lobbied to get their problem fixed first :/ Go; watch the Rivians, Land Rovers, and Porsche’s cross their new tax payer funded temporary bridge. Disgusting!


5

Heh – yer probably as astonished as I am that I agree with you, Perspective24, but I do. Completely inefficient to spend >$1MM (they won’t get it done for the $800K they claim, for a structure that’ll be replaced in less than a year. But at least all those high end cars will have 10 minutes shaved off their commute…


5

Then maybe trust me when I say this; ultra rich vs poor. That is the fight this country is currently in. Most everything else is just an attempted distraction from that. Don’t be fooled.


1

A few percentage point reduction in county administration compensation packages could not only pay for the temp bridge it could pay for the permanent bridge


29

Yes, the bridge should be replaced, not a special deal. What is a special deal is the millions of dollars diverted to address vagrancy consequences or the millions of dollars diverted from a transportation fund, a taxpayer Mello-Roos fund to build an overpass, then diverted for a recreational bike/hiking path. When will we be taxed enough for the overpass, never.


35

Jorge, you aren’t thinking fourth dimensionally. A new bridge is housing for vagrants.


14

“Brevity is the soul of wit.” – William Shakespeare


0

A down vote for a positive reply post.


Oh kay, got it.


0