San Rafael, CA – One of Marin County’s most important and congested thoroughfares is due for pavement upgrades and other improvements over the next 2½ years, and residents are invited to participate in the project planning.
The intersection at Sir Francis Drake Boulevard and College Avenue in Kentfield is part of the project's plan.
A community workshop is scheduled for 7 p.m. March 15 at Kent Middle School’s multipurpose room to go over plans for a 2½-mile stretch of Sir Francis Drake Boulevard between Highway 101 and the Ross town limit. The Marin County
Department of Public Works (DPW) has gathered viewpoints at two workshops, and this is the time to iron out the final few specifics and prioritize the project ideas. Construction is due to begin in the fall of 2017.
Planners and engineers will be on hand to provide an overview of public input to date and design priorities. The project team has developed alternative design concepts intended to improve the function of the corridor, which runs through portions of Larkspur, Greenbrae, and Kentfield. One goal is to move traffic – drivers, pedestrians, cyclists – more quickly and safely through the busy area. The other is to rehabilitate aging infrastructure that has been in place for many decades.
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.
Funding for the project, approximately $13.2 million, is from Measure A, Marin’s 2004 transportation sales tax. Additional funding is being sought so a maximum number of design concepts can be implemented.
Kent Middle School is at 800 College Avenue. More information about the project is available on the project web page.