Carmel-by-the-Sea to begin $3 million paving project; Ocean Avenue section will close

Speaker 1, an unnamed city official, announced that a roughly $3,000,000 paving project will begin next Wednesday and warned that the first phase will close Ocean Avenue between Carpenter and Highway 1, a county-controlled segment. “Do not use Ocean Avenue between Highway 1 and Carpenter,” Speaker 1 said, advising drivers to use Carpenter, Rio or other back routes.

The official said the first phase covers the Ocean Avenue stretch and that additional sections scheduled to start next week include 'tenth' between Mission and Unipero and '6' between Guadalupe and Carpenter. The city has run a display ad in the Pine Cone, is distributing door hangers to residents along the stretch and is working with Monterey County and Caltrans on scheduling, insurance and indemnification issues.

Speaker 1 thanked staff and partners for the coordination required to move the project forward, noting the work involved arranging interjurisdictional agreements and insurance coverage. He singled out former staffers Javier, Ken and Bob Barrera for previous contributions and named the new project manager, Shari, as leading the effort to bring the work across the goal line.

The city emphasized that although some affected segments are county jurisdiction, the repaving effort aims to provide a continuous driving experience for people entering town. Officials asked residents to follow posted detours and to check city updates for any changes to the schedule.

The paving project was described as a multi-phase effort; no formal vote was recorded on the project during this briefing and funding sources beyond the total project amount were not specified.