New SLO County bridge replaces a span that was closed for almost 40 years

After almost 40 years, Pismo Beach has a new Bello Street Bridge.

On Monday, the city celebrated the opening of the new span, which restore access across Pismo Creek — marking the end of a multi-million-dollar replacement project of the century-old structure.

The original metal truss bridge — built in 1913 — was closed to traffic in 1983 and was considered structurally deficient “due to its advancing state of deterioration,” according to city spokesman Jorge Garcia.

In 2020, the city was able to secure a grant from the Federal Highway Bridge Program to replace the crumbling bridge and restore the crossing over the creek.

Construction began in October 2020 and concluded this year.

The final price tag for the project was $8 million.

Kaytlyn Leslie

The Tribune

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Kaytlyn Leslie writes about business and development for The San Luis Obispo Tribune. Hailing from Nipomo, she also covers city governments and happenings in San Luis Obispo. She joined The Tribune in 2013 after graduating from Cal Poly with her journalism degree.