Groundbreaking Held For Long-Awaited $43.7M Hearn Avenue Overcrossing

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — A groundbreaking ceremony was held Friday for the new Hearn Avenue overcrossing over U.S. Highway 101 in southern Santa Rosa — a project that was first envisioned in the 1990s.

Decades later, Caltrans, the Sonoma County Transportation Authority and the City of Santa Rosa came together Friday and broke ground on the $43.7 million project that will provide new sidewalks, Class 4 bicycle lanes, and other elements designed to reduce congestion and better serve people who walk and bike in southern Santa Rosa, Caltrans said.

The existing two-lane overcrossing has one eastbound lane and one westbound lane, and only a narrow sidewalk crosses the overpass in a community with multiple businesses and more than 6,400 housing units.

By removing and rebuilding the overpass, Caltrans will create enough space to add two Class 4 bicycle lanes, complete with barriers separating the bike and vehicle lanes.

"An overcrossing should be more than a passageway over a freeway; it should be a means to connect communities," said Dina El-Tawansy, Caltrans Bay Area Director. "The new Hearn Street Overcrossing will improve traffic flow by widening the bridge and ramps and adding two bicycle lanes and sidewalks for pedestrians, promoting multimodal travel in this underserved area."

The two new full-sized pedestrian sidewalks will extend to existing pathways on each eastern street corner so pedestrians will not need to walk on the highway shoulder.

The project will also widen the southbound U.S. 101 off-ramp with turning lanes at its intersection with Corby Avenue; add lanes at the intersections of Hearn Avenue/Corby Avenue and Hearn Avenue/Santa Rosa Avenue; and add pedestrian curb ramps and crosswalks that meet the requirements of the American Disability Act and incorporate protected intersection facilities for bike crossings and detection to reduce potential conflicts between bikes and vehicles.

The project is the final phase of the Hearn Avenue and Santa Rosa Avenue Complete Streets Project to provide roadway widening and pedestrian and bicycle improvements to improve mobility in southern Santa Rosa.

Further, when completed in late 2025, the Hearn Avenue Overcrossing will comply with new regulations for allowing taller vehicles to pass beneath, Caltrans officials said.

Overcrossing Funded Partially By Measure M

The project first became feasible in 2004 when Sonoma County passed Measure M, a quarter-cent sales tax to fund transportation improvements. In 2020, voters approved an extension of Measure M.

The SCTA contributed $17.2 million through Measure M funds, and the City of Santa Rosa contributed $9.4 million.

The project also received $17 million in state funds, $8.6 million through the Senate Bill 1 LPP competitive program, $5 million through SB 1 Local Partnership Program, and $3.4 million from the State Transportation Improvement Program.

See Caltrans' webpage for the Hearn Avenue Replacement Project.