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Shell Beach · Caltrans (with the City of Pismo Beach)

US 101 Five Cities Multimodal Transportation Network Enhancement Project

Southbound US 101 from the Avila Beach Drive off-ramp to the Price Street on-ramp, through Shell Beach and Pismo Beach, CA

Under constructionas of August 18, 2026Transportation

The pin marks a representative location from the cited records, not a verified construction footprint. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Summary

The Five Cities Multimodal Transportation Network Enhancement Project is a Caltrans highway project, sponsored by the San Luis Obispo Council of Governments (SLOCOG) and carried out with the City of Pismo Beach, to relieve afternoon and weekend congestion on southbound US 101 through Shell Beach and Pismo Beach. It has three parts: an approximately five-mile part-time travel lane on the southbound inside shoulder, from north of the Avila Beach Drive off-ramp to south of the Price Street on-ramp, open from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. daily and closed at other times; a park-and-ride lot at Mattie Road and Price Street with electric vehicle charging, a transit stop and bike racks; and a segment of the Shell Beach Road shared-use path between Spyglass Drive and Avila Beach Drive. The work includes widening three bridges over the highway, lane control signals, median barrier changes and a 1,200-foot retaining wall along Price Street.

Caltrans certified the environmental impact report in September 2022. In December 2023 the City Council agreed to let the Coastal Commission process one consolidated coastal development permit for the City, County and Commission portions, and in February 2024 the council reviewed concept designs. SLOCOG lists $80.3 million in construction funding against a total construction cost of $87.7 million; the highway and park-and-ride work ($71 million) is fully funded and the $16.7 million path extension is underfunded.

Construction began in late March 2026. The Price Street retaining wall started April 6, 2026 and bridge work the week of July 20, 2026, with narrowed lanes on Price Street and intermittent weekday delays of up to 10 minutes at the three underpasses. The Pismo Preserve overflow lot is closed for staging until the park-and-ride lot is built. The City expects about three years of work; SLOCOG expects construction through 2028.

Documented scope

Part-time travel lane
About 5 miles on southbound US 101, from north of the Avila Beach Drive off-ramp to south of the Price Street on-ramp; open 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. daily [1]
Park-and-ride lot
New lot at Mattie Road and Price Street with electric vehicle charging, a transit stop and bike racks [4]
Shared-use path
Shell Beach Road path segment between Spyglass Drive and Avila Beach Drive; $16.7 million, reported as underfunded [1]
Structures
Bridge widening at Spyglass Drive, Mattie Road and Wadsworth Avenue; about 1,200-foot retaining wall along Price Street; median barrier changes [1]
Cost and funding
Total construction cost $87.7 million; $80.3 million in construction funding (SB 1 TCEP $64.9 million, SLOCOG $13.4 million, federal community project funding $2 million) [1]
Schedule
Construction began late March 2026; about three years, expected through 2028 [2]

Milestones

  1. Caltrans certified the environmental impact report and environmental assessment. [4]
  2. Pismo Beach City Council authorized the Coastal Commission to process a consolidated coastal development permit for the project. [4]
  3. City Council received an update on concept designs. [5]
  4. Construction began (late March 2026). [2]
  5. Construction of the Price Street retaining wall began; Pismo Preserve overflow lot closed for staging. [1]
  6. Bridge work at the Spyglass Drive, Mattie Road and Wadsworth Avenue crossings began the week of July 20. [1]
  7. SLOCOG update: flagging and intermittent delays at the three underpasses on weekdays; work expected through 2028. [1]

Dates are shown with the precision the source gives: a month or a year when the record has no exact day.

What changed

  • Bridge widening at Spyglass, Mattie and Wadsworth under way with weekday flagging and delays of up to 10 minutes; work expected through 2028. [1]
  • Price Street retaining wall construction began; Pismo Preserve overflow lot closed for staging through 2026. [1]

What the records leave open

  • Construction dates and the 2028 completion come from agency web pages, which are updated in place; the figures reflect the pages as read on November 5, 2026.
  • SLOCOG reports the Shell Beach Road path segment as underfunded by about $16.7 million. The City's October 2026 capital report says design of the related path phases was paused for lack of construction funding, so the path portion may be built later than the highway work.
  • The Coastal Commission's action on the consolidated coastal development permit and the Caltrans construction contract were not reviewed.

More in Shell Beach

All Shell Beach projects

Sources

  1. Five Cities Project (US 101 Five Cities Multimodal Transportation Network Enhancement Project), project page with construction updates through August 18, 2026, San Luis Obispo Council of Governments, August 18, 2026 (checked November 5, 2026)
  2. Highway 101 Construction Project, City of Pismo Beach (checked November 5, 2026) Undated City information page; states construction began in March 2026 and is expected to take about three years.
  3. US 101 Five Cities Multimodal Transportation Network Enhancement Project (05-1G680), Caltrans District 5 project page, California Department of Transportation (checked November 5, 2026) Undated project page; lists construction beginning at the end of March 2026.
  4. Coastal Development Permit Consolidation Request for the U.S. 101 Five Cities Multimodal Transportation Network Enhancement Project, City Council staff report, Item 12.A, City of Pismo Beach, December 5, 2023 (checked November 5, 2026)
  5. City Council agenda, February 20, 2024 (Item 12.A, US 101 Five Cities Multimodal Project Concept Designs), City of Pismo Beach, February 20, 2024 (checked November 5, 2026)

Research reviewed November 3, 2026. Page content reviewed November 5, 2026. Guide last updated November 5, 2026. Research last reviewed November 3, 2026; records cover November 3, 2021 to November 3, 2026. How the guide is built, and what it does not cover.

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