Atascadero’s ECR Downtown Project earns multiple statewide and regional honors

By Staff Report · Mon Jun 15 2026

ATASCADERO — The City of Atascadero’s El Camino Real Downtown Parking and Safety Enhancements Project (ECR Project) has received multiple statewide and regional awards recognizing excellence in engineering, planning, sustainability, and community impact.

The project earned top honors from several professional organizations, including the League of California Cities, which awarded it the 2026 Outstanding Local Streets and Roads Project Award for efficient and sustainable roadway reconstruction.

The project also received recognition from the American Public Works Association Central Coast Chapter, including First Place in the 2025 Projects of the Year (Transportation $5–25 million category) and Overall Winner for regional projects completed in 2025.

Additional awards came from the American Society of Civil Engineers San Luis Obispo Branch, which honored the project in multiple categories, including roadway design, community improvement, sustainability, and construction excellence. The American Planning Association Central Coast Section also awarded the project an Award of Excellence in Urban Design.

City officials said the ECR Project has become a model for community-centered infrastructure, transforming a 0.6-mile stretch of El Camino Real in downtown Atascadero with upgraded crosswalks, new signals, ADA improvements, lighting, landscaping, and approximately 130 new free parking spaces. The project also included the replacement of a century-old sewer main.

Completed on time and within budget, the $12+ million project was designed by Wallace Group/KTUA and built by Souza Construction, with funding support from state and federal partners, including offices of Senator Laird, Congressman Panetta, and the San Luis Obispo Council of Governments.