Caltrans Approves $1.7 Billion Million in Road Upgrades

Caltrans will put in frontage roads along Highway 101 between north Novato and San Antonio Road in Petaluma, giving pedestrians and cyclists access between the two cities.

The $29 million worth of improvements will be complete by 2015 and are funded by Proposition 1B, a transportation bond approved by state voters in 2006.

"The next step is going out to bid," said Caltrans spokesman Bob Haus. "Once we select the contract, we can get to work. We're looking at starting construction this fall."

The frontage will be put in between the Redwood landfill and the entrance to Olompali State Historic Park on the west side of 101 and to the Mira Monte Marina driveway on the east side, Haus said. The west side frontage road will extend north toward Petaluma to connect with San Antonio Road near the Marin-Sonoma county line. 

"It wasn't a problem for a long time, but in this day you really need to upgrade from a highway to a freeway so there is a provision in there for bikes and pedestrians," he said. "We've been looking at this for a long time. The environmental phase of the project was completed in 2009."

Further north, Caltrans has approved $82 million worth of road improvements that will reconfigure the Petaluma Boulevard South interchange by adding more traffic lights and build a new bridge over the Petaluma River.

Haus predicted that traffic wouldn't be affected much during the construction because lane closures would be limited to only the heaviest of jobs and done at night.

In 2005-2006, Waste Management, which owns the Redwood landfill, spent $7.2 million to build a flyover and improve safety at the landfill entrance and exit. For years, vehicles (often huge trucks) leaving the dump and heading southbound had to get onto northbound 101 and cross oncoming traffic before quickly merging with the fast-moving flow of southbound traffic.

About 85,000 vehicles pass the landfill every day on 101, according to Caltrans.

How do you feel about these improvements? Will you use them, , are these more improvements that Sonoma residents pay for and won't access?