On weekdays, Fairfax-Bolinas Road in West Marin is closed from Azalea Hill to Ridgecrest. On weekends, the road will be open, but traffic will be routed through a single-lane with controlled two-way access at milepost 5.73. See project webpage for details. Thank you for your patience while these projects progress.

Bolinas Road Resiliency and Community Connection

6.5-mile critical stretch of roadway undergoing major reconstruction and stabilization

A joint County of Marin, Town of Fairfax project

Areal view of Bolinas Road depicting a Slipout from a 2023 storm.

Overview

Bolinas Road serves as a vital artery in West Marin: a key evacuation and firefighting access route connecting state and federal parklands and residents; and the only road to access Marin Water District treatment facilities that supply one-third of the drinking water.

The road spans 14.6 miles in total and connects federal Golden Gate National Recreation Area and Point Reyes, and Mount Tamalpais State Park with the Town of Fairfax and emergency services.

For years, the road has been routinely impacted by mudslides during winter storms. However, two federally declared storm events in 2022-2023 (DR-4683, DR-4699) caused severe damage, including 9 major landslides along the road.

The County of Marin and Town of Fairfax spent $500,000 in immediate emergency mitigations and is securing $7.8M of Federal Highway Administration funding (along with $850k of matching County funds) to permanently rebuild 6 slide locations: 2 were completed in 2023, and 4 are in design. However, the roadway is still in need of $30.29M in additional work:

  • Permanent repairs at the other 3 slide locations;
  • A complete assessment of the full stretch of roadway to identify and repair other vulnerabilities;
  • Installing ~4,200LF of retaining wall

Budget for remaining $30.29M project:

$1.16M - Study/Geotechnical
$1.91M - Environmental, design, permits
$0.42 - Right of way, utilities
$26.81 - Construction
$30.29M - TOTAL

Status

There are repairs at various stages of completion at 6 slide locations: 2 have been completed, 1 is in construction, and 3 are in design. The County is currently seeking federal funding for the remaining $30.29M needed to complete the Bolinas Road Resiliency & Community Connection Project. (Note: the repairs at milepost 9.96 - linked below - is part of a separate effort in coordination with FEMA.)

Considering the public safety urgency of the project and the limited life left of the current road, the County of Marin and Town of Fairfax are seeking to begin the project immediately (pending secured funding).

Project Components

Select a component to learn more about each repair.

Future Projects

  • Retaining wall at milepost 6.95 -- Construction expected to being in Q3/Q4 2025
  • Retaining wall at milepost 9.73 -- Construction expected to being in Q3/Q4 2025

Overview of projects as of Fall 2024

Map of Bolinas Road from Town of Fairfax to Alpine Dam

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