San Rafael, CA – Three roads in the Strawberry neighborhood of southern Marin will be repaved and improved as part of the Marin County Department of Public Works’ (DPW) summer paving program. This is the second phase of a paving project for Strawberry that was initiated in summer 2018. This phase will begin late August and is estimated at $1.59 million.
Phase one construction on Belevedere Drive took place during Summer 2018.
A total of 0.8 miles of roadway will be repaved on Belvedere Drive, Carlotta Circle and Clotilda Court. The work on Belvedere Drive will be from Reed Boulevard to East Strawberry Drive; Carlotta Circle from Reed Boulevard back around to Reed Boulevard; and Clotilda Court from Carlotta Circle to the end of the street. Construction on Carlotta Circle and Clotilda Court will begin in late August, while work on Belvedere Drive will begin shortly after Labor Day. The project is expected to be completed by mid-November.
Currently the roads are showing signs of base-level failures, extensive weathering and pavement cracking. The planned improvements include full width repaving, sidewalk improvements, accessibility and safety upgrades, improved traffic striping and signage, and drainage enhancements. The planned work on these roads is a continuation of the work that began in 2018, which needed to be rescheduled due to unfavorable weather conditions for the necessary paving materials.
Construction will take place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays. The work will require temporary periods of single-lane access, during which the traffic flow will be controlled by flaggers. Towards the end of the project, intermittent road closures might be required to finalize the paving.
The improvement project will be covered by the County’s Road and Bridge Rehabilitation Fund, which has been strengthened by California Senate Bill 1 (SB1) funding. The increase in funding makes it possible to address more projects, such as this one in Strawberry, earlier than normally possible.
DPW is conducting three other significant paving projects this summer: Sir Francis Drake Boulevard near White’s Hill; the Sleepy Hollow neighborhood in central Marin; and the Homestead Valley area in southern Marin. By more efficiently curtailing deterioration of the County-maintained roads, DPW will save money in the long run by minimizing the need for more expensive rehabilitation projects.
Improving roadway conditions across unincorporated areas of Marin is an ongoing commitment of the County and one of the top priorities for the Board of Supervisors. This goal was further underlined by the 2018 countywide Resident Survey, in which 91 percent of the community identified infrastructure improvements, including road work, as their top priority.
Which roads get addressed during any given paving season is based on an evolving list that is prioritized by a complex variety of factors. Some considerations 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.