San Rafael, CA – A community open house on June 1 will allow the Marin County community to review plans, ask questions and provide written comments about a rehabilitation project for Sir Francis Drake Boulevard between Highway 101 in Greenbrae and the Ross town limit.
Sir Francis Drake Boulevard at College Avenue in Kentfield.
The Marin County
Department of Public Works (DPW) has been gathering viewpoints about plans for the 2½-mile stretch of Drake Boulevard that runs through portions of Larkspur, Greenbrae and Kentfield. Construction is due to begin in the fall of 2018. The open house will be from 4-8 p.m. June 1 at Kent Middle School’s multipurpose room in Kentfield.
“This open house is designed as a way for us to answer questions and get feedback in an informal way,” said Robert Goralka, DPW Principal Civil Engineer.
Over the past 18 months, DPW staff has held the three community workshops, two walking tours, and several meetings with advisory committees and groups such as the Kentfield Planning Advisory Board and Greenbrae Property Owners Association. The outreach efforts resulted in an extensive list of project ideas to improve congestion and safety in the corridor. The ideas have been vetted, discussed, and refined into the current project components.
A major goal of the project is to move traffic – drivers, public transit users, pedestrians, cyclists – more quickly and safely through the busy area. Another is to rehabilitate aging infrastructure that has been in place for many decades.
It would cost an estimated $19.2 million to implement all of the improvements identified by the community. Available funding is currently $13.2 million from Measure A, Marin’s 2004 transportation sales tax.
During morning commutes, the Sir Francis Drake Boulevard corridor is the primary feeder to southbound Highway 101 from communities in the lower and upper Ross Valley. In the evening, it’s particularly busy as commuters head back toward the upper Ross Valley. Sir Francis Drake also serves as the key road to reach Marin General Hospital, College of Marin’s Kentfield Campus, Marin Catholic High School, Bacich Elementary School, Bon Air Center shopping area, the Larkspur Ferry Terminal and the Marin Country Mart shopping area.
Kent Middle School is at 800 College Avenue. More information about the project is available on the project web page.