Two Road Safety Projects Funded by Federal Grant

Posted on January 28, 2020


For Immediate Release –

San Rafael, CA –

County receives $3.76 million in funding to cover safety improvements

 

Traffic signal improvements
Federal funding will pay for 51 traffic signal improvements and 5,500 feet of guardrail replacement in Marin.

The County of Marin has been awarded a $3.76 million federal grant from the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) to fund two roadway safety projects. The funding, administered through the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), will cover all project costs.

Federal funding will pay for 51 traffic signal improvements and 5,500 feet of guardrail replacement in Marin.

One project will enhance traffic signal safety at 51 intersections throughout unincorporated areas of the county as well as in the cities and towns. The other project will replace 5,500 feet of guardrail across 13 locations in unincorporated areas of Marin. The estimated budgets of the two projects are $2.8 million and $961,200, respectively, for a total of $3.76 million.

 

The Marin County Department of Public Works (DPW) has initiated preliminary engineering for the projects and expects to start the construction phase of the guardrail replacement project in the summer of 2021 and the traffic signal enhancement project is planned for construction sometime between late 2021 and early 2022.

The 13 guardrail locations being replaced are located on Marshall-Petaluma Road, Panoramic Highway, Point Reyes-Petaluma Road, and Tomales-Petaluma Road. Of the 51 intersections being upgraded, 15 will be in San Rafael, 13 in Novato, five in Corte Madera, four in Sausalito, three in San Anselmo, three in Mill Valley, two in Fairfax, two in Larkspur, two in Ross, and two in unincorporated areas of central Marin. The overall intersection improvement project will be a coordinated and collaborative effort by County DPW and the town and city governments within each jurisdiction.

The projects are only just in the early design phase and details of the eventual construction are currently unknown. However, DPW will strive to implement these improvements with minimal disturbance to traffic and the community in general. The public will be notified in advance of construction work to detail any potential impacts.

The federal grant application process was successful due to the large-scale systemic safety analysis of roadways across Marin. The safety analysis, funded through the California Systemic Safety Analysis Report Program, resulted in the development of the 2018 Marin County Travel Safety Plan. The plan identified the intersections and guardrails that will be addressed in the two upcoming projects, among other future potential safety improvement options.

Beginning in 2016, DPW worked with Parisi Transportation Consulting and partnered with all Marin towns and cities in conducting the analysis. The effort also involved collaboration with various town and city police departments, the Marin County Sheriff’s Office and the California Highway Patrol. A technical advisory committee, comprised of representatives from the Marin Public Works Association, Transportation Authority of Marin, and Marin General Hospital, was formed to help guide the process.

The Travel Safety Plan was finalized and released in December 2018 and presented a detailed assessment of the region, evaluating high-risk road corridors and intersections where frequent collisions had occurred between January 1, 2012 and December 31, 2016. The report focused on collisions that resulted in someone being killed or seriously injured (KSI), including incidents that involved pedestrians, bicycles, speeding or aggressive driving. A total of 2,756 crashes were reported during the five-year study window, with an annual average of 44 collisions occurring on locally maintained roads that involved at least one KSI. The study identified collision trends for each jurisdiction of Marin.

“Public safety is our primary concern,” said Ernest Klock, DPW Assistant Director. “These two road safety improvement projects are great examples of how the County, cities, and towns of Marin will be able to effectively utilize the Travel Safety Plan to pursue much-needed state and federal safety grants moving forward.”

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