San Rafael, CA – Warm summer weather is perfect for paving roads and the Marin County Department of Public Works (DPW) is making the most of it by utilizing state funds to improve three roadways in central Marin. The estimated $3.37 million project will include the resurfacing and upgrading of a total of 5.5 miles of pavement in Sleepy Hollow and along Lucas Valley Road.
This deteriorated section of Van Tassle Road in Sleepy Hollow will be resurfaced.Work is underway in Sleepy Hollow as of July 30. Following the completion of that phase, work on Lucas Valley Road will commence in mid-September. The project is expected to be finished in late October. Both phases of work will require intermittent single-lane closures, during which the traffic flow will be controlled by flaggers.
The Sleepy Hollow work will focus on repaving 2,182 feet of Van Tassel Court and 514 feet of Ichabod Court, as well as improving drainage along each stretch. Later, crews will repave approximately five miles of Lucas Valley Road, from Nicasio Valley Road to Big Rock. In addition to resurfacing, the road will be widened by up to 2 feet at several sections to improve safety for cyclists. Upgraded guardrails and drainage will also be installed along the section of roadway.
The repaving of Lucas Valley Road will use Cold In-Place Recycling technology, an eco-friendly alternative to traditional paving practices, which reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent. The method involves grinding off the top several inches of old pavement, milling it into the desired gradation. The reclaimed material is then mixed with a recycling agent and placed back on the roadway, where it is compressed and sealed. This entire process occurs efficiently onsite. In addition to its environmental benefits, the process costs less than other paving methods as it uses less aggregate materials, fuel, and labor hours.
The improvement project will be covered by the County’s Road and Bridge Rehabilitation Fund, which has been fortified with funding from California Senate Bill 1 (SB1). The bill, enacted in April 2017, will provide approximately $4.1 million annually to the County of Marin’s road improvement program. The boost makes it possible to address priority projects earlier than previously possible, thereby saving money in the long term by avoiding further roadway deterioration that would necessitate more expensive repair projects.
Improving the conditions of roadways across unincorporated areas of Marin is an ongoing commitment for the County. In 2014, the Board of Supervisors initiated a $48 million, six-year plan called the Road and Bridge Rehabilitation Program. Under the initiative, DPW is working toward resurfacing 31 percent of its most-used roads before 2020.