By Camas Frank

The City of SLO is keeping the wheels spinning for Bike Month, as May coasts to an end, by encouraging commuters to “share the road with cyclists on the U.S. Highway 101 overcrossing on Los Osos Valley Road (LOVR).”
There have been some issues on the overpass project, which is easily the most congested intersection inside city limits during the workweek. Currently under construction, work is slated to run through at least next year. And the City’s project manager would like to remind drivers to share the road with two wheeled commuters who are also attempting to navigate without the space normally allotted.
“Due to construction,” wrote project manager, Jason Bennecke, ”the designated bike lanes have been closed within the project limits, forcing bicyclists to share the road with motorists.”
While the City has made, “designated efforts to keep the road safe for bikers crossing the freeway, including adding multiple ‘Share the Road’ and ‘Bicyclist’ [warning] signs and keeping the roads clean of construction debris,“ they’d also like to take advantage of Bike Month’s timing to keep motorists aware of the issue.
The “Highway 101 on the LOVR” bridge happens to be directly connected to a recently completed bicycle trail [class 2 path] linking the intersection with Prado Road behind the sewer treatment plant and along the creek. Until 2013 the path was not connected but traffic has increased dramatically for commuter cyclists looking for an alternative to Higuera Street.
Bike Month is the “largest countywide community organized event, “which encourages people to substitute riding for driving.”
A hotline has been established to help commuters with up to date travel information at 511 or online at the SLO Regional Rideshare website.