County To Pave 5 Petaluma-Area Road Segments This Summer

PETALUMA, CA — Sonoma County's 2023 road resurfacing program is officially underway and involves pavement treatment on 50 miles of road segments — five in the Petaluma area — across 98 separate county-maintained roads.

Work to be completed this season involves a combination of roads identified for the ongoing Pavement Preservation Program and roads that qualify for repair as part of the Fire Damage Recovery Paving Project supported by PG&E settlement funds. The cost of all paving work planned for Summer 2023 is approximately $29 million, the Sonoma County Department of Public Infrastructure said Monday.

In the Petaluma area, here are the paving projects scheduled for this summer:

• East Washington Street from Petaluma City Limits to Adobe Road
• Lohrman Lane from Bodega Avenue to Magnolia Avenue
• Wilson Lane from the beginning of the county-maintained road to Middle Two Rock Road
• Monte Vista Lane from the beginning of the county-maintained road to the end of the county-maintained road (at the intersection)
• McBrown Road from King Road to Liberty Road

Here's a map of county paving projects.

“Road paving and rehabilitation is essential to maintaining public safety, economic vitality and access to services,” said Supervisor Chris Coursey, chair of the Board of Supervisors. “We want to remind all roadway users to please plan ahead this summer, know your detour, and most importantly slow down when encountering road crews in your area.”

The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors proactively contributes more discretionary dollars to road repairs than any other county in California. Since 2012, the Board has invested more than $203 million to improve 516 miles of roads totaling 38 percent of the county-maintained network, the largest county-maintained road network in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Sonoma County Roads Improving

According to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, Sonoma County’s Pavement Condition Index has improved by eight points since 2012, from 44 to 52 out of 100. The county’s primary road network of minor arterials and major collectors was determined to be in good condition with an average PCI of 76. The county’s minor collectors and local roads are in poor condition with a PCI of 55 and 39, respectively.

Projections indicate that an additional $4.3 million of minimal annual investment would be required to prevent further road network decline over the next 10 years.

Because state gas tax funding for roads is distributed based on the number of vehicle registrations in a county rather than the number of road miles, rural counties receive disproportionately less road funding. Other funding sources for county road repairs include the Measure L transient occupancy tax and Measure M sales tax.

Without General Fund contributions, the county's ability to reduce the backlog of deferred maintenance and improve its Pavement Condition Index scores would be limited. Deferred maintenance of roads causes a faster rate of pavement deterioration from water and traffic over time and ultimately costs more to repair or rehabilitate.

In 2014, the Board approved the Sonoma County Long-Term Roads Plan to establish a methodology for selecting roads for paving and outline a funding strategy to accelerate repaving. The long-term plan aligns with the Resilient Infrastructure pillar of the county’s Five-Year Strategic Plan to make critical investments in the county road network.

Submit Road Projects For Future Consideration

Sonoma County residents can submit a road project for future consideration by calling 707-565-2550 or sending an email to SPI@Sonoma-County.org. Non-emergency road requests may be submitted and tracked here.

“Our unincorporated road system touches almost every citizen in our county and it is a vital asset worth maintaining for future generations,” said Supervisor David Rabbitt, director of the Sonoma County Transportation Authority and member of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. “I am proud of the investment our board has made over the years and look forward to continuing the efforts to maintain our road system which is a core service to our community. Our contractors and crews will be in your community soon, please slow for the construction zone.”