Caltrans is planning a large-scale repaving of Highway 1 in West Marin, slated for 2022. The estimated $24.5 million project will overlay asphalt on 15 miles of road, including through Tomales and Point Reyes Station.
The work will cover a 10-mile southern section, from Bivalve to Five Brooks, and a five-mile northern section, from Tomales-Petaluma Road to Valley Ford. The scope of the preventive maintenance project was determined by the current stress on the pavement, said Wajahat Nyaz, a project manager for Caltrans.
Up north, where there are fewer travelers, the road will be overlaid with two different types of asphalt; the work on the southern segment is more rigorous. Workers will grind away a third of an inch of pavement and overlay the road with asphalt, then with a layer of pavement-reinforcing fabric, and finally with another layer of asphalt.
Four curb ramps in Tomales and 14 ramps in downtown Point Reyes Station will be upgraded. All gravel pullouts will be paved, nine drainage culverts will be improved, and existing guard rails will be replaced with rails that meet the current 32-inch standard.
The construction work is fully funded by Caltrans’s highway protection program, according to Mr. Nyaz. He expects the environmental review phase to wrap up in August with the release of an initial study that identifies impacted agencies, required permits, and environmental mitigations. The project expects a mitigated negative declaration under the California Environmental Quality Act, Mr. Nyaz said.
This spring, Caltrans will hold a public meeting to receive feedback. Once the project enters the design phase, Caltrans will work to secure rights-of-ways for culvert improvements and curb ramp upgrades. The department anticipates spending another $800,000 on that aspect of the project.
Design should wrap up in early 2022, followed by about a year of construction. During roadwork, one lane of the highway will be closed at a time. The project’s scope summary report estimated that eight-hour lane closures will be required for 160 working days.
The project intersects with several others by the state agency on Highway 1. In 2018, Caltrans installed shallow indentations, called mumble strips, on the double yellow line throughout most of West Marin. The department also plans to replace the 91-year-old Green Bridge, but a lawsuit in favor of a retrofit has stalled work.
A smaller project initiated to improve the pedestrian route to West Marin School will be incorporated into the larger Caltrans repaving. The project focuses on the intersection of Shoreline Highway and Mesa Road.
Currently, the two crosswalks have just one, single-sided sign, the path to the school has tripping hazards, and the curbs are out of compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, according to plans from a consultant.
Across from the thrift store, on the east side of Highway 1, a raised sidewalk will be built, or rehabilitated where one already exists, heading from Mesa Road toward the school and separated from the road by a landscape buffer. Yield triangles and more visible crosswalks will be painted, and pedestrian warning signs with rapid-flashing lights will be installed. The curb will protrude from the corner to shorten the crossing distance and improve visibility.
That project was initiated by a task force made up of representatives from Safe Routes to School, West Marin School, the Marin County Department of Public Works and Caltrans, who surveyed the area around the school in 2015 and proposed recommended infrastructure improvements. It is funded by a $354,000 grant from the Transportation Authority of Marin, which Caltrans was designated to receive.