City Council OKs next‑step design work for Prado Interchange, directs further milestones and regional outreach

The San Luis Obispo City Council voted 4‑1 to advance the Prado Interchange to the plans, specifications and estimate (PS&E) phase, moving the long‑discussed project closer to construction while directing staff to report back at multiple milestones and pursue regional funding.

The council’s approval allows the city to award the PS&E design contract to the consultant CONSORT and to appropriate $9.9 million in San Luis Ranch bond proceeds to the project account. Council also authorized staff to issue a request for proposals for lobbying services to help close the remaining funding gap. Councilmember Boswell recorded the lone no vote.

The approval starts a multi‑year design effort that staff estimates will take about 4 years to produce construction‑ready documents. Engineering staff told the council the PS&E phase will include value‑analysis recommendations (to reduce cost and complexity), utility coordination, right‑of‑way initiation and a third‑party constructability review. CONSORT’s unsealed design fee for PS&E is about $9 million; added contingencies and related tasks bring the…