San Rafael, CA – The California Senate Bill 1 (SB1) will provide Marin County with an estimated $3.83 million for transportation improvement projects targeted for the summer 2019 construction season. Following the accountability measures of SB1, the Marin County Department of Public Works (DPW) has identified 20 potential road projects that could utilize the state funding.
A deteriorated section of Lucas Valley Road near Big Rock in West Marin. While each project varies in scope, they will address roads in unincorporated areas of Marin, focusing on improvements such as asphalt resurfacing, safety upgrades, drainage functionality, and nonmotorized traffic accessibility. The estimated costs range from $80,000 to $2 million per project, carrying a combined total of approximately $7.5 million. Actual project costs will be unknown until a project is initiated and bids are received from prospective contractors.
The list intentionally identifies more projects than are intended to be undertaken during a single year’s road improvement season. The purpose is to allow flexibility should any projects become infeasible due to construction requirements, scheduling complications, geographic restrictions, permit availability and/or project prioritization with other agencies. Also, the extended list enables DPW to initiate more projects should additional funding become available, either from the local level, SB1 or other grants.
The first infusion of SB1 was applied to the 2018 road improvement season. Due to the partial implementation of SB1 during its first year, the funding allotted to Marin County totaled $1.38 million. The funding has been earmarked to resurface Lucas Valley Road from Nicasio Valley Road to Big Rock (milepost 5.3) in West Marin. The project, which will soon enter the environmental permitting process, is estimated to cost $3 million. The $1.62 million beyond the state funding will be covered by the Marin County Road and Bridge Rehabilitation Program Fund.
Signed by Governor Brown in April 2017, the bill, also referred to as the Road Repair and Accountability Act, will generate $54 billion for statewide transportation improvements over the next decade. Once fully realized, cities and counties are expected to receive a total of $1.5 billion annually from SB1 for the next 10 years, portioned out per capita. According to projections, the measure will provide an average of $4.1 million per year for use on roads in the unincorporated areas of Marin once the state’s implementation ramps up. Accountability is a key facet of SB1, such as project list submissions, project tracking and annual expenditure reporting, to ensure that funds are strictly used for transportation improvements.
While the Marin County Board of Supervisors has made road quality and safety a top priority for years, local funding alone is insufficient for the scope of work. Current funding is not enough to a maintain the County’s present level of road quality, which is below average for the state. To improve the condition of all County-maintained roads, additional grants and funding sources, such as SB1, will be necessary. Even with this infusion of SB1 funds, the backlog of road maintenance projects will continue to grow and it will take even longer to get to a level of good repair countywide.
“When SB1 reaches its implementation maturity, the $4.1 million addition to our annual roads budget will be key to addressing priority projects earlier than previously possible,” said Ernest Klock, DPW Assistant Director. “This funding boost is critical to saving money in the long term by avoiding further roadway deterioration and significantly more expensive repairs.”