Access to Chimney Rock Road restored with new temporary bridge

The only access road for neighborhoods of residents on the east side of Lake Nacimiento has reopened with the installation of a temporary bridge.

That means Chimney Rock Road is now passable at Franklin Creek near Fawn Lane for the first time since the winter storms in January and March, the San Luis Obispo County Department of Public Works said in a news release.

The Department of Public Works and Souza Construction completed installation of the one-lange bridge over the washout on Chimney Rock Road and it was opened to public use on Thursday afternoon, the release said.

Residents and motorists are advised to use caution and adhere to signs in the area, including a 15-mile-per-hour speed limit on and near the bridge, the release said.

Winter storms previously washed out the culverts beneath Chimney Rock Road near Fawn Lane, creating an 80-foot-long, 50-foot-deep canyon bisecting the road, the release said.

A temporary construction road spanned the creekbed in April, giving construction, emergency and residential vehicles passage across the canyon, the release said.

That temporary construction road is closed and will be dismantled prior to the next rainy season, the release said.

The new temporary bridge will remain in place until a new permanent crossing can be designed and built some between 2024 and 2025, the release said.