Atascadero road improvement project earns statewide, regional awards
Multiple organizations honored the project for design, sustainability, and community impact
– The City of Atascadero’s El Camino Real Downtown Parking and Safety Enhancements Project has received multiple statewide and regional awards from public works, engineering, and planning organizations.
The project earned the 2026 Outstanding Local Streets and Roads Project Award for Efficient and Sustainable Road Maintenance, Construction, and Reconstruction from the League of California Cities Public Works Officers Institute. The award recognizes the efficient and sustainable reconstruction of a nearly 100-year-old roadway in the downtown corridor.
The American Public Works Association Central Coast Chapter awarded the project first place in the 2025 Projects of the Year competition in the transportation category for projects valued between $5 million and $25 million. The organization cited construction management, safety performance, community relations, environmental stewardship, adaptability to project challenges, sustainability, and project delivery.
The project also received the chapter’s Overall Winner award, recognizing it as the top project among regional projects constructed in 2025 from Ventura to Monterey.
The American Society of Civil Engineers San Luis Obispo Branch presented the project with four awards: 2026 Outstanding Roadway and Highway Project, 2026 Outstanding Community Improvement Project, 2026 Outstanding Sustainable Project, and 2026 Outstanding Construction Project.
The Outstanding Roadway and Highway Project award recognizes roadway and highway projects that demonstrate advances or innovation in design and construction for vehicular or multimodal transportation. The Outstanding Community Improvement Project award recognizes projects focused on improving the community. The Outstanding Sustainable Project award recognizes projects that promote understanding of economic, environmental, political, social, and technical issues related to sustainable development. The Outstanding Construction Project award recognizes projects that use innovative construction methods or project management to overcome challenges and complete construction successfully.
The American Planning Association Central Coast Section also presented the project with its Award of Excellence in Urban Design, recognizing innovation, design quality, community impact, and public engagement.
The awards will advance to state and national competitions.
The project transformed a 0.6-mile section of El Camino Real in downtown Atascadero. Improvements included upgraded crosswalks, a new signalized crossing at East Mall, approximately 130 new free parking spaces, including Americans with Disabilities Act-accessible spaces, accessibility upgrades, new sidewalks and driveways, enhanced street and decorative pendant lighting, landscaping, more than 25 newly planted street trees, and replacement of a 100-year-old sewer main.
The city began the project in 2017 following collaboration with residents, businesses, and community stakeholders. Wallace Group and KTUA completed the design work, and Souza Construction completed construction.
The project cost more than $12 million and was completed on time and within budget.
To learn more about the project’s improvements and positive impacts, visit The ECR Project page.
View the ECR Project time-lapse video.
