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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 for over 190,000 people.

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 secured $7.8M of Federal Highway Administration funding was secured (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

Repairs at the 6 slide locations (which already received $7.8M in FHWA funding by the County) will be completed in 2024. The County is currently seeking federal funding for the remaining $30.29M needed to complete the project.

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).

Completed Project Components

Select a component to learn more about each repair.

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