$15.68M Allocated For Sonoma County Road Improvements: Caltrans

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — The California Transportation Commission awarded nearly $2 billion Friday to support infrastructure projects in Sonoma County, the Bay Area, and throughout the world's fifth-largest economy: the Golden State.

The latest round of allocations taps $430 million in federal funds from the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure bill and $740 million from California's Road Repair and Accountability Act. The funds will boost infrastructure upgrades across the Bay Area, including rebuilding freeway interchanges, completing vital bridge repairs, addressing sea-level rise, and making more electric transit options.

In Sonoma County, the California Transportation Commission —CTC — has approved nearly $16.68 million in projects. Here is where the money is headed:

• $972,000 is allocated for state Highway 116 near Guerneville, at 0.3 miles west of Riverside Drive. Construct soldier-pile retaining wall and improve drainage system to permanently restore roadside damaged by landslide.

• $1.5 million is allocated for state Routes 12, 37, 101, 116, 121 and 128 at various locations in Sonoma County to replace or install curve warning signs.

• a $2 million allocation was announced for state Highway 1 near Jenner, from south of Russian Gulch Bridge 4Q800 to 2.5 miles south of Fort Ross Road to rehabilitate pavement and upgrade the guardrail.

• $1.2 million is allocated for SR-1 near Timber Cove, at the Caltrans District 4 Fort Ross Maintenance Station (21265 Shoreline Highway) to replace the septic tank, septic distribution box, and septic leach lines; remove raw sewage and install new building sheetrock, insulation, subfloor, base board, tile, bathroom vanities, tub and shower. On Jan. 29, 2024, functioning ceased for the septic system at cottage 3, causing the tank to back up and sewage to overflow into and throughout cottage 3 and surrounding areas creating a biohazard for onsite maintenance employee tenants and all maintenance station employees.

• $7.5 million is allocated for SR-1 near Timber Cove, at 1.8 miles north of Pacific View Drive to remove the landslide debris, repair slopes, install concrete canvas for slope protection, reset damaged guardrail, reconstruct pavement using subgrade enhancement fabric, and construct a new retaining wall using concrete lagging. Heavy storms from late January through mid-February 2024 caused saturated slopes, resulting in washouts, landslides, longitudinal pavement cracking and pavement settlement.

• $2.5 million is allocated for Sonoma Regional Bus and Rail Connectivity Improvements —2011 Diesel Bus Fleet Replacement to Battery Electric — to purchase six battery-electric public transit buses to replace aged diesel buses. The outcome will be improved access to passenger rail and bus transit, increased ridership, and will hasten the transition to a fully zero-emission bus fleet, and better integrate cross-agency.

"California's transportation infrastructure is critical to the economic and cultural lifeblood of our state," said Tony Tavares, Caltrans director. "This funding provides key support in our mission to provide a safe, equitable and sustainable transportation system for all users."

See the CTC, Caltrans statement with information about allocations across the state.