Bumpy stretch of 101 to be rehabbed

$67 million project approved by state
Dubbed one of the bumpiest stretches of Highway 101, a 14 mile span in both directions from Windsor to Geyserville will be repaired thanks to approval of a $67 million funding package from the California Transportation Commission.
The CTC approved more than $2 billion in projects across the state and funding for the northern Sonoma County highway didn’t come easy, according to local transportation officials.
North County Supervisor Mike McGuire worked with city councilmembers from Windsor to Cloverdale, who serve on the board of the Sonoma County Transportation Commission — Windsor Vice Mayor Steve Allen, Healdsburg councilmember Tom Chambers and Cloverdale Mayor Carol Russell.
“It started because the four of us were very concerned over the failing concrete slab pavement of Highway 101,” McGuire said this week. “This section of 101 has significantly deteriorated over the last several years, which has created unsafe conditions for commuters. Even with emergency repairs that took place earlier this summer, there are a growing number of areas that are in very bad condition.”
Allen said the group had clearly shown the need to replace the worn out concrete with new asphalt.
“I want to thank Supervisor McGuire and our partners at Caltrans for getting this project ready to go,” he said.
The rehabilitation project’s funding package was approved last Wednesday at the urging of McGuire and Caltrans Region 4 representative Bijan Sartipi.
“We’ve heard from numerous commuters, it’s been a big issue,” McGuire said.
Engineering and environmental studies will begin this year and the project will go out to bid in 2015. Construction will likely begin in 2016 and will take about two years to complete.
The 14-mile project includes resurfacing and restoration of pavement on the main road and ramps in both directions of travel. Caltrans, the owner and operator of the state highway system, will manage the paving project.
The funding comes from the State Highway Operations and Protection Program, also known as the SHOPP. Approximately $2 billion in federal and State gas tax funds are dedicated to the SHOPP each year to maintain the State Highway System and provide non-capacity related improvements.
Money allocated for SHOPP projects is exclusively used for roadway improvements and can not be used for highway expansion projects like the Marin-Sonoma narrows, McGuire said.
“Sonoma County was competing with jurisdictions all throughout the state,” McGuire said. “This section was put up against significant highway projects throughout the Bay Area, the Central Valley and southern California. Not everybody got funded.”