San Rafael, CA – The Marin County Department of Public Works (DPW) will begin a road sealant project by the end of September to repair 12.4 miles of pavement on sections of 20 roads in unincorporated areas of Marin County.
This stretch of pavement in the Bel Marin Keys neighborhood of Novato is slated for resealing.
The project, which addresses roads in Bel Marin Keys, Ignacio, Greenbrae, Kentfield, Tam Valley, and Strawberry, is expected to be completed by mid-December.
The $1.3 million project, covered by the County’s Road and Bridge Rehabilitation fund, will repair pavement showing signs of aging, such as weathering and cracking. Doing preemptive work helps prevent further deterioration that would require more expensive and extensive repairs.
The road sealant project will utilize a process called microsurfacing, which uses a special mix of aggregate, water and asphalt emulsion. It is a cost-effective treatment that extends the functional life of roads by minimizing oxidation and water infiltration, subsequently slowing the weathering and aging of the pavement. The process also provides skid resistance, corrects minor surface irregularities and improves aesthetics. In addition to the pavement repairs, other improvements will be made to drainage gutters, curbs and sidewalks where necessary.
Construction will take place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. The work will require temporary periods of single-lane access, during which the traffic flow will be controlled by flaggers. Intermittent road closures might be necessary at times, and detours will be in place as needed. Every effort is being made to provide advanced notice and minimize disturbances to the residents in proximity of the work sites.
The roads being repaired are sections of:
- Bel Marin Keys Boulevard, Montego Keys, Caribe Isle and Calypso Shores in Bel Marin Keys;
- Alameda De La Loma and Appleberry Lane in Ignacio;
- Eliseo Drive, Goodhill Road and Bretano Way in Greenbrae;
- Berens Drive, Laurel Grove and Woodland Road in Kentfield;
- Seminary Drive, East Strawberry Drive, and Paradise Drive in Strawberry;
- Linda Way, Jean Street, Ross Drive, Cardinal Court and Cardinal Road in Tam Valley.
The 20 roads being repaired under the sealant project are in addition to this year’s annual paving series that DPW has worked on this summer. A total of 5.5 miles of roads are being repaved in central Marin and another 1.06 miles are being repaved in southern Marin.
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. California Senate Bill 1, which went into effect in 2017, will provided an additional $4.1 million annually to transportation improvement projects, allowing DPW to more efficiently address the backlog of road maintenance for unincorporated Marin.
Which roads get addressed during any given paving season is based on an ongoing list that is prioritized by a complex variety of factors. Some of the categories taken into consideration are the particular year’s funding allotment, permit availability, scheduling requirements, coordination with other projects and/or agencies, and each roadway’s pavement condition score. Each year, DPW aims to improve a balance of local, arterial and collector roads.