San Rafael, CA – The Marin County Department of Public Works (DPW) is extending the construction footprint and timetable of its Civic Center Drive Improvement Project to implement a quiet zone associated with the Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) crossing at Civic Center Drive in San Rafael. The County is collaborating with SMART and the City of San Rafael to make the improvements.
Construction in the Civic Center Drive area of San Rafael will continue into 2017.The Civic Center Drive project is on schedule to be completed in early 2017. Improvements to the corridor, which began in July 2016, will enhance safety and the flow of traffic from southeast of the Civic Center Drive and Peter Behr Drive intersection to north of the SMART tracks at McInnis Parkway. This will create seamless connectivity between the SMART station, Marin Center, the Veterans Memorial Auditorium, Lagoon Park, the Civic Center and an anticipated permanent farmers market. DPW provided an overview of the project in a 2014 video.
As part of an extension to this work, medians will be installed on the north and south sides of the SMART tracks to comply with a City of San Rafael quiet zone. This phase of construction has required the temporary closure of the southbound, left-hand turn lane onto eastbound McInnis Parkway. The existing traffic signal timing has been temporarily converted to a staged signaling at the Civic Center Drive and McInnis Parkway intersection. Southbound travelers will have a combined through and left-turn arrow onto McInnis to accommodate residents and workers accessing that corridor. The signal will be monitored and adjusted to maximize traffic flow through the intersection. This condition will be in place through early December.
Overall, the Civic Center Drive Improvement Project is progressing quickly. While the additional work for the quiet zone improvement has extended the schedule, it has not hindered the progress of the other phases. Construction of the single-lane roundabout at the intersection of Civic Center Drive and Peter Behr Drive is moving into the next phase of work. To accommodate this, the north-bound lane of Civic Center Drive will transition to the east side of the roundabout on November 8. That traffic pattern adjustment will require the Avenue of the Flags intersection to change from a three-way stop to a four-way stop.
Significant work will continue on the section of Civic Center Drive between the SMART crossing and the roundabout through December. DPW is asking for the public’s patience and caution while moving through the area during this timeframe.
On DPW’s website, residents can find a video that summarizes the improvement project, an animated simulation of how the roundabout will work, an overhead map of the area, an overview about the effectiveness of roundabouts from the federal government, and many other documents. SMART has also provided documentation on their quiet zones safety measures.