The project that will eventually involve the widening of the Santa Maria River Bridge received a boost this week when state officials allocated more than $1 million to the final design budget.

The California Transportation Commission, at its Thursday meeting in Sacramento, approved $1.16 million to fund its share of the final design cost. That represents 60 percent of the total.

The counties connected by the bridge will pay the difference through the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments and San Luis Obispo Council of Governments.

At first, state officials were not recommending that the CTC fund its portion of the design project. However, Santa Maria Mayor Larry Lavagnino, speaking as a representative for SBCAG, was able to help change their minds.

Officials are hoping that if the design of the project can be completed, the construction component will have an easier time finding funding.

Earlier this year, the CTC decided not to give $58 million for the construction on the river bridge after an intense lobbying effort from officials in urban areas who thought the money should be spent to relieve congestion on busy freeways.

When Lavagnino addressed state officials in April, he said he told them local leaders understood the reason why money was shifted away from the bridge construction but “what we can't understand is why we can't get the funds necessary to do the study of what is necessary before we even get started.”

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Obviously they listened, he noted Friday.

“With the construction of Highway 101 through Santa Maria, taking it to six lanes and having it come down to the old four-lane bridge could cause tremendous amount of problems and possibly even death,” he said. “It's a real important thing. If we want to maximize our construction that we did here, we need to widen that bridge.”

Though the construction money is still in limbo for the project - it is now estimated to cost about $60 million - the design can be completed.

“It's definitely a step in the right direction,” said Colin Jones, a local Caltrans spokesman. “We feel it's an excellent project.”

Jones noted that the environmental work has already been completed, and that once the design work is done, the project has a better chance of receiving money - either through new funding sources or if another project drops out.

Malia Spencer can be reached at 739-2219 or mspencer@santa

mariatimes.com.

June 9, 2007